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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026997">Things That Grow Should Stay in the Ground</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/savsfeelings/pseuds/savsfeelings'>savsfeelings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Invader Zim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dib and Gaz are Siblings (Invader Zim), Dib is Of Legal Age (Invader Zim), M/M, Older Dib (Invader Zim), Post-Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:48:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026997</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/savsfeelings/pseuds/savsfeelings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zim and Dib are at the birthplace of young adult hi-jinx: summer camp. But when an evil force threatens to destroy everything Zim has worked for, he and Dib must fight together to save Earth. Will their relationship end with their success? Or will it turn into something more?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After six years on Earth, Zim finally realized that he would have to start small.</p><p>He opened his eyes. It was just as he’d hoped: the blank wooden ceiling stared back at him. He smiled. So it wasn’t a dream--Membrane Labs had really hosted a summer camp for his son’s graduating class.</p><p>Zim snuck off the top bunk, being careful not to disturb any of his classmates. His Pak legs silently made their way down the ladder.</p><p> Gir was fast asleep at the foot of the bed: Zim’s “emotional support dog.” Zim snickered to himself--humans were so gullible. Even in the watery light of the early morning and, according to Zim’s calculations, less than ten minutes before the trumpet jolted all two dozen of his senior class awake, Gir’s dog suit was neon green. It practically glowed in the dark. He had been nervous, he admitted to himself as he made his way to the bathroom, ruby eyes blinking in the dark, that Gir’s raucous behavior would sound more alarms that he wasn’t a normal dog.</p><p>He glanced back at his sleeping classmates; their cheeks pressed against drool-soaked pillows. Zim shuddered. All their mouths yawned open. If he wanted to, Zim could slip something between their lips and control them from his Pak. He kicked himself silently. That plan would’ve been a lot easier.</p><p>In the soft light of the morning, Zim stood in front of the mirror. A half dozen toiletry bags sat slumped on a folding chair in the corner of the room. His was hanging off the back, much bigger than the others. Zim pulled the zipper slowly, trying his best to be quiet. He didn’t dare turn on the light, and the bathroom didn’t have a lock.</p><p>Zim only opened it enough to squeeze his wig and contacts out. Irkens didn’t sleep, but his human disguise wasn’t exactly comfortable. If he was going to lie on a filthy human mattress in the dark for eight hours, he was going to do it <em>his </em>way.</p><p>He slipped one contact in. Once he had realized that all the Earth children grew while he remained his Irken adult size of four foot nine, he had had to engineer a growth serum in his lab. But even with that he was one of the shortest boys in his class—he stood at barely five foot seven. Only one person had batted an eye when he came into hi-skool at his new height.</p><p>Zim glanced out of the window. The sun was slowly spilling itself over the pines. He put the other contact in, then his wig, just as the trumpet unleashed its brass song into the forest.</p><p>Crap. He wanted to be out before—</p><p>A screech shook the thin bathroom door. “Master?” Gir cried, his voice thick with worry. “<em>Master?”</em></p><p>“Good morning, fellow humans!” Zim said, throwing open the door. “Any dreams?”</p><p>Gir screeched again, planting himself at Zim’s feet. Zim stepped in front of him as quickly as possible.</p><p>“Was your dog just…talking?” One of the campers rubbed sleep from their eyes.</p><p>“No, no! Dogs can’t talk. Perhaps it was a human dream!”</p><p>“I did have some weird dreams last night…” someone else chimed in. He had an angry red welt the size of an apple on his temple, and one eyebrow was completely singed off. Zim grimaced. So he had performed some experiments while the others were asleep. He had gotten bored—eight hours is a long time.</p><p>Silence filled the room. Beads of sweat started to form on Zim’s brow. If Gir made another sound, he would have a hard time convincing his classmates that they were still dreaming.</p><p>“Breakfast!” A peppy voice called over the megaphone.</p><p>“Oh, I’m starving!” The campers started to get out of bed, stretching their arms and legs like zombies waking from the dead. They hobbled to the bathroom one at a time, eyes red and bleary. Zim stepped out of the cabin, Gir drinking an entire bottle of Pepto-Bismol at his feet. Zim didn’t bother wondering—he was thankful it was edible and not something he could shoot into the sky out of his head.</p><p>Zim looked up. The sky was the rich, full blue that only comes with the promise of a true summer day, and not a single cloud obstructed it. The sun was still partially hidden by dense pines. Across the main clearing sat the other boy’s cabin, squatting on the grass like it was waiting to strike. Zim knew who was in that cabin. He stared it down until the door opened.</p><p>He could hear the creak from all the way across the clearing. The door sat gaping, the blackness inside like a cave. Keef ran out first, robotic red eyes wide in excitement, chasing a squirrel as he screamed Zim’s name. Then one shoe stepped out: a red sneaker. Then another, connected to a pair of black jeans. Then the torso, clad in a blue t-shirt. His head almost hit the top of the door—summer camp cabins weren’t usually made for people over six feet. Dib stood glaring across the clearing at Zim, his black framed glasses glinting in the warm summer sun.</p><p>Zim was secretly thankful that Dib’s birthday had come before this trip. He would never admit it to anyone, but he wasn’t a huge fan of beating up on a child. But once he learned that the age of eighteen was the human standard for adulthood—well. Zim snickered. All bets were off.</p><p>“Ready for a day of bonding and summer fun, Dib-beast?” Zim shouted.</p><p>“Barbecue day isn’t today! It’s on Friday!” Dib shouted back.</p><p>“Barbed wire? Where?”</p><p>“’Fit for the pyre’? What the hell does that mean?”</p><p>Zim stayed silent, listening, then stalked off towards the mess hall. Something told him that neither he nor Dib were actually conversing. Zim shook his shoulders, as if shaking off the interaction, and grabbed a green plastic tray. It was no matter to him; Dib would learn soon enough. He still had seven days to torture this disgusting group of recent high school graduates into submission. Zim, his head high, a smile that comes only with the knowledge of one’s superiority twisting his lips, marched into line for the waffle station.</p><p>“I’m telling you, Gaz,” Dib half-whispered as he and his sister walked to the omelet station. The line was short: the value of eggs had really plummeted. “He’s up to something. I never thought he would go on this trip, especially when his base is so far away. He does have his Pak, though…”</p><p>Gaz grunted, her head down, eyes slit and locked onto her Game Slave in concentration. Dib looked over his shoulder at Zim. The waffle line wasn’t long either; the pizza, fried chicken, and burger stands were the most crowded. Dib made a face. The only person who would eat pizza for breakfast and still have his respect was Gaz, and he wondered aloud why she was in the omelet line with him.</p><p>“The thought of you being in line for an omelet alone makes me sick,” she muttered.</p><p>“That’s really—”</p><p>“If you were alone, who would get to do this?” She flipped Dib’s tray and his hot coffee went all over his shirt.</p><p>“Shit!” he exclaimed, thankful that the coffee wasn’t scalding. Gaz walked to the pizza line snickering.</p><p>Dib set his tray down on a trashcan and wiped his shirt with his hands. Crap. He’d have to go back to the cabin and change. The good news was that only that omelet line was laughing at him, and he felt a blush creeping up his neck. He ducked down and walked out the door, back to his cabin.</p><p>Zim’s waffles looked pretty good for human food. He cautiously speared his golden breakfast with his fork, like it might attack him. But inside the waffle there was just more waffle. Zim nodded, satisfied, and took a small bite. His eyes wandered over the crowd. He could see Dib jump back in surprise then stalk out of the building. Zim narrowed his eyes. “Trying to get away, Dib-stink?” he muttered to himself. He left the waffles on the table and followed.</p><p>Two girls sat alone in the mess hall, each at a table in opposite corners of the room. One ate pizza with one hand and played her Game Slave with the other; the other sat with her hands folded, her burger barely touched. She surveyed the humans with disgust. A black cat with glowing red eyes sat on the bench next to her. She locked her eyes on Gaz.</p><p>Gaz’s cheeks turned red. She could feel someone’s eyes on her. “Zim,” she said angrily, “I swear to God if you’re staring at me again…” She glanced up. Zim was nowhere to be found, and his waffles sat unattended in the middle of the room. A girl sat, staring. She looked out of place only to those who hadn’t gone to school with the same people their whole life. She made a motion like she was inviting Gaz over. Gaz took her pizza and game slave and stalked out of the room—two aliens was two too many for her to deal with at summer camp.</p><p>Zim had brought a little portable TV to entertain Gir while he was out doing human summer camp things. He could hear Gir’s crazy laughing and the crunch of a stolen taco. Zim put a hand to his forehead and looked around, thankful that everyone was at breakfast. The smoke from Gir’s rockets was silently creeping out of a cracked window.</p><p>“Dib!” Zim called, jogging over to his cabin. “You can’t get away from me so easily!” He stopped at the steps. He could see Dib at the middle bunk, peeling off his shirt. Dib rummaged in the bottom of his bag for a new one, hitting a half-used pack of cigarettes. He looked at them longingly, then flattened his mouth into a line and shoved them deeper. He was trying to quit anyway.</p><p>“I would never try to get away from you,” Dib said over his shoulder. He stopped, his neck going back to pink. That sounded more menacing in his head. “I mean, what’s your plan?”</p><p>“Oh, Dib,” Zim chuckled. “This plan is so ingenious, so superior to whatever plan you are using to get rid of Zim, that you won’t notice it until <em>you are in my grasp!”</em></p><p>“You’ll never get away with it. I’ll figure it out! And I’ll stop you!”</p><p>“Do you have a plan, filthy Dib-beast?” Zim answered smugly.</p><p>Dib grabbed a plastic squirt bottle from the top of his bunk. “I would never come here unarmed!” He turned; the squirt bottle pointed at Zim.</p><p>“Water? That’s your big plan? Ha!” Zim laughed. “Clearly you do not have a plan, or else you would know that I, Zim, have built up a tolerance for Earth water!”</p><p>Dib pulled the trigger anyway. A small stream hit Zim in the forehead.</p><p>“You see, stupid human,” Zim said triumphantly, “Water no longer harms Zim.”<br/>“Do not question me, Dib-beast! I am a superior Irken invader and you are a simple human worm baby—ah!” Zim smacked his forehead. “Ah! Ah! What water is this?”</p><p>“Tap water, dummy. Unfiltered.” Dib smiled. “Straight from the river.”</p><p>Zim yelped and furiously scrubbed his forehead with his hand. The smoking died down. “You dare call Zim a dummy?” Zim pointed at him. “I’ll show you who’s a dummy!”</p><p>Dib stepped out of the cabin. “Earth: one…” He held up a finger. “Irk: zero.” He closed his hand into a circle.</p><p>The trumpet sounded again, signaling the start of their first activity. Dib pulled his shirt down over his head. “Line up against the north field for today’s first activity: baseball!” A voice screeched over the loudspeaker. Then, “Those who prefer to stay inside can report to the Craft Corner on the east lot.”</p><p>Dib stretched his fingers out in front of him. “Going to draw your plan, Zim?” he taunted. “Or am I going to get to hit you in the face with a baseball?”</p><p>“Eh? No, my plan is tucked safely away! Somewhere you can never find it!” Zim laughed again, his hands on his stomach.</p><p>Dib shook his head. “It’s with Gir, isn’t it?”</p><p>“What? Who?”</p><p>“Your robot dog. Gir.”</p><p>“Ha <em>ha!”</em> Zim pointed at Dib dramatically. “Gir is not a robot dog—he is my robot minion! Just dressed as a human pet! <em>And you’ll never know!”</em></p><p>Dib stared at Zim, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. Zim was wearing the most basic outfit ever—a white v-neck t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. If anyone else was wearing such a simple ensemble they would look like a human stock photo, but Zim was in good shape. One powerful, muscled arm stayed pointed at Dib. Dib flexed his hands and averted his eyes to the right. People were lining up for baseball. <em>I would really love to hit something right now, </em>he thought.</p><p>Zim followed his gaze. “A sports competition, hm?” He turned back to Dib. “Very well. A superior Irken should have no problem winning against puny and soft humans.”</p><p>“If you use your Pak, or any alien stuff, people will see you.”</p><p>“Oh. Very well! Strength and stamina it is, then!”</p><p>Dib narrowed his eyes. “I hope you know the rules,” he said flatly.</p><p>“I’m sure Zim’s mighty Irken mind will figure out your planet’s feeble sport.”</p><p>Dib frowned and started to walk to the line. “These competitions are mere child’s play compared to my sophisticated military training,” Zim continued, trailing behind.</p><p>Gaz kept her head down as the counselor talked in a soothing voice. “When we get inside, there are going to be lots of colors,” she said, eyes wide. “But I want all of you to calmly take a seat and await further instruction, okay?”</p><p>All five campers nodded in unison, and the door opened. Gaz took the furthest seat from the door, eyes still locked onto her Game Slave. She was almost done with this level, if she could only stay alive for one minute longer…</p><p>“Hey.” Tak stood over her. “Can I sit here?”</p><p>GAME OVER. Gaz growled, her hand moving into a fist. “If you distract me…” she started, looking up at Tak slowly, “I will kill you.”</p><p>Tak silently sat down. A piece of purple construction paper was placed in front of each of the girls, along with a tub of colored pencils. The wide-eyed counselor explained that they would be drawing today. Two men in Membrane Labs coats patrolled the room. One snatched Gaz’s game slave out of her hands.</p><p>She stared at her empty hands for a moment. Then, with a thunderous roar, screamed, “I NEED THAT BACK!” The man stared at her, and tentatively placed her game in front of her. Gaz bared her teeth.</p><p>Tak almost chuckled. It was so easy for her to blend in when everyone else was this crazy.</p><p>An alarm sounded, indicating that they could start drawing. Tak grabbed a black colored pencil, wasting no time. “Humans, huh?” she started, her eyes flicking up at Gaz. Gaz stayed silent. Tak tried again. “It’s nice that Zim hasn’t figured out how to take over the planet yet.”</p><p>Gaz snickered despite herself. “He’s an idiot.”</p><p>Tak nodded, chuckling. “Yeah,” she agreed.</p><p>In order to curb his son’s violent and eccentric tendencies, particularly his obsession with Zim, Professor Membrane had skipped enrolling Dib in science camp one year and instead shipped him off to a sports camp. “If you’re not going to practice <em>real</em> science, son,” he had said, handing Dib a bag that was already packed, “you’re going to learn teamwork. It’s a skill that you should have.”</p><p>Dib surprisingly took to baseball; and unsurprisingly, nothing else. Baseball had, that summer, exhausted all his competitive tendencies. Unfortunately for Professor Membrane, it had not erased his fascination with cryptids, but had created a stronger and more athletic amateur paranormal investigator. Dib had continued to play ever since; he even pioneered the semi-annual Swollen Eyeball softball game that had become a mainstay in the secret society. There was a picture framed in his room of him smiling between two other agents, a baseball mitt in his left hand, his right arm around a laughing older man.</p><p>Dib jerked his head at the counselor. “Dib Membrane,” he said once he had reached the front of the line, his hands in his pockets.</p><p>The counselor, clad in a Membrane Labs coat despite the heat, mouthed each name on the sign-up sheet before settling on Dib’s.</p><p>“Gotcha,” they said, smiling. “Any baseball experience?”</p><p>Dib’s eyes flashed. “Yes.”</p><p>“Position?”</p><p>“Second base.”</p><p>“Team Blue, on the ‘home’ side. Next!”</p><p>Dib walked past the fold-out table. Ten other campers sat bored in the heat, fanning themselves with blue baseball caps. Dib picked one up from the white plastic bin and put it on his head. He squinted at the field. It looked brand new: the grass was a crisp green, the sand was soft and tan, and the chalk lines were undisturbed by excited players.</p><p>“I am Zim!” Zim said loudly to the counselor manning the sign-up table.</p><p>“Great!” they replied. “Any baseball experience?”</p><p>“Eh…yes?”</p><p>“Position?”</p><p>“Winner. Always the winner.”</p><p>The counselor didn’t bat an eye. “Left field,” they said, scribbling in the sign-up sheet. “Team Red, on the ‘away’ side. Next!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tak tries to get Gaz to join her on a mission to take over the Earth. Dib knocks baseball out of the park, but can't compete when sore-loser Zim steps in to ruin everything.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tak slid her purple sheet of paper over to Gaz. She glanced at it. “I can’t read that,” she muttered.<br/>

“I—oh,” Tak stared at it. “Sorry.” She put her hand on the corner, as if she was getting ready to pull it back. She didn’t. She looked at Gaz instead, trying to will her eyes to lock onto hers.<br/>

Gaz died again. She rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, dropping her crossed ankles from the tabletop. “I’ll bite.” She jerked her head at the paper. “What is it?”<br/>

Tak shrugged. “Just a little something-something.”<br/>

Gaz looked at her for a second, then picked up her Game Slave once more.<br/>

“I know you hate humans,” Tak said quickly, leaning forward. She needed Gaz for this to work.<br/>

“I’m listening,” Gaz muttered. She glanced back up at Tak.<br/>

“And I know you hate Zim.”<br/>

“Hate is a strong word.” Gaz rubbed one eye. The power level on her Game Slave was dangerously low, the little flashing red light getting more ominous by the second.<br/>

“What if I had a plan to get rid of humans and Zim, forever?”<br/>

Gaz just grunted. “I’ve already fought for Earth before,” she said, “with the florpus hole. Remember?”<br/>

Tak nodded, a little jealous. She hadn’t been there for that. “I remember,” she replied, her teeth grit. “But Earth didn’t change after that. This plan…” Tak pressed her finger down on the paper to emphasize her point. “Would change Earth forever.”<br/>

Gaz’s Game Slave turned black. She pressed her lips together and squeezed both eyes shut, her hand curling into a fist. She fought the urge to scream. She had been so close…</p><p>“So…this is baseball, eh?” Zim put his hands in his pockets. He stared at the other campers, who were starting to pass out gear. “Where is our base? And how do we destroy the opposing team?” Zim’s eyes brightened. “Explosives?”<br/>

The campers just glanced up, uninterested. They had learned six years ago that he was just weird, and any interaction could turn painful in a heartbeat.<br/>

Zim turned to the left to peer at the ‘home’ side. He could see Dib, practicing his swing, alone to the right of the dugout. Zim looked at him closely, studying his form. His eyes were focused and strong, his body taught and agile. </p><p>Instead of screaming, Gaz decided to follow her father’s advice. As she got older and her anger got more pronounced, Professor Membrane would often instruct Gaz to take a walk. He could see the signs of an outburst on his young daughter’s face: the scrunched brow, red cheeks, teeth bared, fist tightly closed around her Game Slave.<br/>

Although she was the daughter of the proprietor of this camp, Gaz didn’t want to push her luck. Her dad had never been known for being too involved with his children. She could scare that one guard, but another outburst like that could land her in the Cheer Hut, which she saw on her bus ride in. It looked about as offensive as it sounded.<br/>

She stalked out of the room, practically shooting out of her chair like a rocket. Her steps were long, her shoulders hunched up to her ears, her hands in the pockets of a thin purple hoodie. Tak followed a couple of feet behind her.<br/>

The woods almost enveloped the campsite. There were places, like behind the cabins, that she could tell hadn’t been looked after very well--the vines clung to the soft old wood like it was the only thing that was keeping them alive. Gaz was surprised to find that she liked those little patches of madness, that the thought of something natural untouched by human hands pleased her.<br/>

There was a trail, faint and just barely visible under the thick green brush behind the girl’s cabin she was staying in. She followed it closely, pausing only to kick a hole into the rotten wood of a couple forgotten trees. The last one, where she lost the trail, was so thick and giant it looked like something out of a fairytale. Gaz peered up at it angrily. She kicked it hard, her steel-toed boot bouncing off the hard bark. She bit back a yelp of surprise and curled in her toe.<br/>

Gaz swiveled around when she heard the crunch of leaves behind her. “What do you want with me?” she spat. Sure, it was fun for a little, but she couldn’t deal with this alien for much longer. “Don’t you want Dib? He’s the one who’s into all that space crap.”<br/>

Tak took a tentative step forward. Her head was down, but her eyes were strong. “No, actually. I want you.”<br/>

Gaz didn’t know what to say. Her mouth gaped open like fish’s, and she fought back a blush creeping up her neck. “But I don’t care about all that stuff,” Gaz sputtered finally, turning away. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”<br/>

“Zim is an idiot,” Tak said. “A lot of the things he’s done here over the past six years have hindered his progress.”<br/>

Gaz was only half listening. She stared at an ant trail by her foot.<br/>

“I know it was you who had the forethought to give Dib the ham during the florpus incident.” Tak chuckled. “And I know it was you who fixed my ship during Zim’s attack on Christmas.”<br/>

“How did you know all that?” Gaz looked at Tak over her shoulder. The forest canopy left light spotted over the girls’ hair, turning the deep purple to bright violet. “I know you knew about the florpus, but…Christmas?”<br/>

Tak shrugged. “I keep tabs here. Also, Zim is funny when he’s so bad at his job.”<br/>

Gaz pulled the corner of her mouth upwards in a half smile. “So, are you trying to get me to destroy the Earth?”<br/>

“No. Just humans.”<br/>

“Just humans, then.”<br/>

“Yes.”<br/>

Gaz rubbed her chin. “I do hate humans, but I love my dad and my brother. And I don’t really hate Zim or his robot dog.”<br/>

Tak nodded thoughtfully. “I never said we had to kill anyone. I’m just looking for control over this planet and its resources,” she said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.<br/>
Gaz walked towards her slowly. “So what would an Earth under our control look like?”<br/>

“Well, you and I would both be queens,” Tak answered simply, crossing her arms over her chest. “Then I would present this planet to my Tallest and they’d do whatever they wanted with it.”<br/>

“Like blow it up?”<br/>

“Sure, if that’s what they wanted.”<br/>

“But where will my family and I go if they blow up Earth?”<br/>

“I’m sure my Tallest would be quite pleased with your display of disregard for human life. They would make sure your family was comfortable.”<br/>

Gaz chewed on the words for a bit. “You’re going to have to expect a fight from my brother.”<br/>

“Not a problem.”<br/>

Gaz tapped her chin. “A queen, huh?” Her eyes were slit but alive.<br/>

Tak smiled, showing all her teeth.</p><p>A bunch of half-hearted cheers floated from the ‘home’ team to Zim. Dib was up at bat, and from what Zim could tell, he was the best player. He was the third one up. No pitcher, which the other campers thought was odd. Just a Membrane Labs-engineered pitching machine. Zim felt that he could take it over if he got close enough, but he bit back the thought. No…Zim must wait.<br/>

The pitching machine was shaped like a human, and its arm started to spin wildly. Zim could see Dib’s eyes. They were still so focused, like the baseball was the only thing in the world.<br/>

The pitcher’s robotic hand let go of the ball, and it flew towards Dib at a breakneck speed. Zim watched intently. Less than a second later, the ball collided with Dib’s metal bat.<br/>

Smack! The ball sailed into oblivion.<br/>

More cheers, louder this time, disrupted the hot air. Zim’s mouth hung open. He had no idea that the Dib-beast, with his giant head, could be so full of power. What is the Dib-creature’s secret? he wondered. Dib jogged around the bases, smiling. Some of his classmates gave him high fives.<br/>

“Hey, you’re—”<br/>

“I KNOW BASEBALL!” Zim yelled quickly, jumping back to see the other camper that had started speaking. The campers on base all ran home.<br/>

“…right. You’re up next, dude.” They handed Zim a metal bat. He wrapped his gloved hand around the base.<br/>

Zim walked to the right side of the batter’s box as the teams switched.<br/>

“Oh, today you’re left-handed?” Dib heckled.<br/>

“I’m ambidextrous,” Zim responded matter-of-factly, drawing oohs from either team.<br/>

Dib frowned and put his head in his hand. “Hope you can hit a baseball, spaceboy,” he muttered.<br/>

“I hope you can stop being stupid, human-worm-ugly-crazy-Dib-stink!” Zim yelled to him, swiveling around, his mouth smoldering.<br/>

Dib rolled his eyes. “Absolutely fuckin’ destroyed,” a camper giggled to their friend. Dib shot them a glare, but it only made them laugh harder. Dib’s cheeks turned as red as Zim’s baseball cap, pushed low over his eyes.<br/>

“Batter up!” the pitching machine said in a metallic voice. Sweat started to form on Zim’s brow. The wind-up, the pitch, the split second the baseball left the machine’s hand…<br/>

“AHHHHH!” Zim screamed, swinging his bat wildly. Dib snorted.<br/>

“Strike!” the umpire, standing from a squat, called. The bottom of his lab coat was brown with dirt.<br/>

“’Strike’? What is this ‘strike’ you speak of?”<br/>

The umpire opened his mouth to respond, but not soon enough.<br/>

Zim pointed at Dib dramatically. “Ah-HA! Zim has gotten a strike! Take that, Dib-beast!”<br/>

“A strike is bad, you idiot,” Dib shot back.<br/>

“Eh? Zim did bad?” Zim looked around the field. The other campers were bored and sweaty, their faces blank. “It is not Zim’s fault that this Earthly game is stupid!”<br/>

Zim ran at the machine with his bat, ignoring his classmate’s cries of “You get another shot!” and “What are you doing?”<br/>

The first swing knocked the machine’s head clean off. “Batter up!” it sputtered before Zim smashed it again. “Stupid! Strike! Cheat! Machine!” Zim gasped angrily in between hits.<br/>

“Great, now this guy’s destroyed our machine,” a camper said unhappily. They slumped back on the bench.<br/>

“Yeah,” another camper said, nodding. Then, “if Dib hadn’t heckled that green kid we’d still get to play.”<br/>

“Yeah, Dib!”<br/>

The campers gathered around Dib, their eyes flashing with anger. “Dib’s fault! Dib’s fault!” they chanted. Dib was pushed to the back of the dugout. He put his hands in front of his face, but not before he could see Zim jogging over and chanting, his metal bat full of dimples from destroying the machine. He placed it on his shoulder, his eyes matching the smirk that Dib could have seen from miles away.<br/>

“Lunch!” a voice sing-songed from the loudspeaker.<br/>

“Oh great, I’m starved.”<br/>

“Me too. I’m gonna take out my anger on some cheese fries!” The campers dropped the various baseball gear they had been holding and walked together to the mess hall. Only Dib stayed behind.<br/>

Dib put his head in his hands. Zim’s bat was only a couple of feet away. Dib stood, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and walked over to pick it up. He took it to what was left of the pitching machine. Damn, he thought, kneeling down beside it. The pitching machine wasn’t any more than a giant, sparking pile of metal, its wires and buttons smashed beyond recognition.<br/>

Dib had this theory that Irkens must be much stronger than humans. He once saw Zim pick up Gaz and hold her over his head the first time he was exposed to rain. He fingered a dimple in the bat’s shiny metal. Zim was small but muscular, like he worked out. Dib knew he was a soldier, so the fact that he exercised was unsurprising, but the thought of him exercising made Dib’s face hot.<br/>

He pulled at his shirt collar, uncomfortable. He chalked it up to the weather, which had suddenly gotten unbearably hot. Or the fact that he was hungry, maybe. Dib left the bat and the pile of metal on the field and walked to lunch, shaking his head. He was going to turn this weird feeling in his stomach to activism and fight Zim’s plan, whatever It was.</p><p>Gaz and Tak sat together on the furthest corner table. Tak sat with her hands folded, Gaz munched on pizza and played her backup Game Slave while her main one was charging in her cabin. Neither said a word.<br/>

“Since when are you two friends?” Dib’s eyes flitted from each girls’ expectantly. His hot chicken sandwich lay on his tray, cold and wilted. It was the only thing left when he had arrived.<br/>

“Earlier.” Gaz didn’t look up from her game. “You remember Tak?” She jerked her head at the other girl, who waved her fingers. Her face was smug.<br/>

Dib swallowed, annoyed. “Yeah. I knew she was here. I always keep my alien detector on me.” He pulled it out of his pocket. The little black rectangle beeped and squeaked, its lights flashing.<br/>

“Weird.”<br/>

A loud yelp made all three look up at the center of the mess hall. Zim stood on a table in the middle of the room, poking his roast beef sandwich with his fork. “Vanquish, vile beast!” he said loudly. The sandwich sat, unmoving.<br/>

Dib grimaced. “Please let me sit here,” he said, turning, but Gaz and Tak were already gone. He sighed and sat at the table alone. Zim continued to stab his sandwich.</p><p>Both Gaz and Tak sat on Gaz’s top bunk at the end of the cabin. Tak watched her play, but she wasn’t familiar with the Vampire Piggy Hunter Series, so she got confused easily.<br/>

“Wait, how do you—”<br/>

“Left-jump-right-right-left.”<br/>

“And who’s—”<br/>

“Pigstein von Sweinberg.”<br/>

“Oh. Right.” Tak nodded, though she didn’t understand. She hoped her eyes didn’t give her away. “So, about the plans…”<br/>

“After this level.”<br/>

“Okay.”<br/>

Tak swung her legs off the end of the bed, her hands clasped between her thighs. She felt it best to stay silent until Gaz was done.<br/>

There was a window directly behind her, and she peered through it. The leaves reflected the bright sun like jewels.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Something is wrong with Gir.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, your plan is really just my plan,” Gaz said, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at Tak cautiously through slit eyes.<br/>“Well, it’s my plan, I just need you for it to work.” Tak crossed her arms as well.<br/>“And you won’t fail, right?”<br/>“No.” Tak turned her nose up. “I do not fail.”<br/>Gaz looked at her for a second, weighing her options. If she wanted to, she could use this plan to take over the Earth by herself, and recruit Dib and maybe Zim to kick Tak to the curb. She decided against it, clicking her tongue to indicate that her decision had been made. “Follow me,” she said, hopping off the bed.</p><p>Having Zim at lunch was like a dinner show. Zim blasted his roast beef sandwich with all sorts of stuff from his Pak—laser guns, alien throwing knives, even stabbing it with its long metal legs. The sandwich, now burnt black and plastered around the room, seemed to be the personification of some very obvious issues that Zim was going through. A couple of campers looked up at the noise, a couple others said things like, “Whoa! A gun!” but mostly they stayed quiet.<br/>Dib was silent, his head resting in his hand. His chicken sandwich lay largely untouched. Zim, now satisfied, sat down at the table and took a long sip of his diet Poop Cola. Dib could see his chest heaving, like he was breathing hard, and he felt that uncomfortable hot feeling again. Grimacing, he tossed his lunch and walked out of the room.</p><p>“Hey,” Dib said, jerking his chin in Gaz’s direction, his hands in his pockets. “Where are you guys going?” He stopped in front of Gaz, who looked up slowly from her Game Slave. <br/>“Lab.”<br/>Dib frowned. “Like, the one at home? Why?”<br/>“No, dummy. The one here.”<br/>“Why?”<br/>“I need to do some stuff.”<br/>“Can I come?”<br/>“No.”<br/>“Please? I’ll be helpful and quiet.”<br/>“Hm…still no. But when I need you, I’ll let you know.”<br/>Dib’s eyes brightened. “Really? Okay!”<br/>“…yeah. Now get out of the way.” Gaz shoved Dib aside, Tak walking quickly behind.<br/>Dib looked after them. After lunch was free time until dinner, then a hike. He could practice some more—his swing earlier had been impressive, but he knew that he could always improve. Or he could read—he had a new copy of Truthshrieker Magazine loaded on his DibPad.<br/>Dib decided on the latter. Most of the boys would be playing basketball or talking to the girls in the rec center, so he knew he’d have the cabin all to himself. An old rusty chair sat on the porch, and Dib smiled. Perfect. DibPad in hand, he sat on the chair, ready to delve into his magazine for a little. The breeze was quiet, a small river babbled nearby, and birds chirped from tree branches. It was the perfect scene to read.<br/> Dib’s head shot up at the sound of a loud clang. <br/>Well. Almost perfect.<br/>“DAMMIT, GIR!” The cabin’s windows showed an angry Zim chasing Gir as he flew across the ceiling. “Is your motor unit—"<br/>“Woo, I’m a kite!” Gir called. “Big-head boy can see! Hi big-head boy! I’m a kite!” Another loud clang as Gir crashed into the wall once more.<br/>“Big-head—Dib! Dib-beast! Dib-monster!” Zim finally got a hold of Gir, wrestling him into his arms. He held him like a baby and stepped onto the porch of the cabin. “Are you invading my privacy?” He raised his eyebrows. “As a human, my privacy is very important,” he said pointedly.<br/>“No,” Dib called back, bored. “I’m trying to read, but you’re being loud.” Dib rubbed his face, annoyed. “And what was that noise? Something blow up on you again?”<br/>“Could you maybe do your human information absorption somewhere else?” Zim said, putting a hand on his hip. His eyes were threatening, but Dib noticed that he didn’t answer his question.<br/>“’Information absorption’? Are you serious?” He held his DibPad loosely in his hands, the camera open, waiting for Zim to mess up. “I know you know what reading is, you bastard,” he called from across the clearing.<br/>Gir continued to struggle in Zim’s arms. When Dib really looked at Zim’s face he could see that his lips were drawn tightly together in a line. His eyes looked nervous; they kept flitting down to Gir. <br/>“I do not familiarize myself with Earthly recreation, Dib-stink. Now begone with you!” Zim pointed dramatically, but Dib didn’t move.<br/>“Is Gir okay?” Dib asked cautiously, standing up from his chair.<br/>“Yes, yes, he just needs a pet doctor appointment.” Gir had started babbling about something, but the words made no sense, like they were made up. Zim started to fidget. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to take Gir, my completely normal pet, to the pet doctor.” He turned on his heel and stalked off. <br/>Dib debated following him. He looked longingly at the rusty chair. He would really love to enjoy the fresh air and relax outside. It might energize him for the hike later, and it might get rid of that weird stomach feeling. But his conscience got the better of him. As Earth’s sole defender, Dib thought, sighing and walking off in Zim’s direction, I must put my own needs to the side to save the Earth from alien invaders. He left his DibPad unattended on the rusty chair.<br/>Zim held his gloved hand over Gir’s mouth and looked around quickly before crossing a clearing. He walked past the mess hall to the tall barbed-wire fence that encircled the lab.<br/>Dib wasn’t surprised. He figured there was something wrong with Gir and the only place to fix it was Zim’s home base. However, since they were so far from home and Zim’s Voot Cruiser, he would have to take his chance with Membrane Lab’s summer camp mobile unit. <br/>Dib cursed under his breath, remembering his DibPad. He hoped no one would steal it. He patted his pocket in a moment of panic, but relaxed when he felt his alien detector was still there.</p><p>Zim’s Pak legs carried him silently over the fence. He would never admit it to anyone, but he really cared for Gir, and was worried about being able to repair him. He had never had a problem before, so Zim wasn’t super worried when he was packing for this trip, but in retrospect he should have been more careful. <br/>The only thing he could do now was hope that this mobile lab had a salifying neutron-leaper that he could bend and break to form something he could use, since Gir’s motor unit was an odd shape and size compared to other Irken SIR units. The salifying neutron- leaper would have to be bent to Gir’s exact head circumference, so it could blast the chip and reset whatever problem Gir was having.<br/>The entire building looked empty, but Zim was too focused to be worried. The front door was locked, and Zim raised his fist. He pressed his lips together and dropped his hand, laying his forehead on the cold metal door. He closed his eyes. Think, Zim, think…<br/>A soft buzzing floated to him. His head perked up and he walked towards the noise, around the side of the building, to a garage door propped open with an old, graying recycling bin. He crept inside, being careful not to hit his head, and saw a door in the very back, glowing with a golden light. He put his hand against it and peered into the window. Two girls stood looking down at a wooden table, their backs to him. He recognized Gaz, and the other one had what looked like an Irken Pak on her back…<br/>Zim gasped audibly. Tak was here? With Gaz?<br/>He pushed the door open slowly and was thankful that it didn’t make a sound. Gir beeped and whirred in his arms, and a bug zapper buzzed loudly on the table.<br/>“…so this quantum vulp reactor…this could completely brainwash everyone here? And we could use the loudspeaker?” Gaz turned towards Tak, her profile visible to Zim.<br/>“Yes,” Tak said, nodding. “And it’s pretty easy to build if we have all the right materials.”<br/>Zim crept around the side of their table. He held his breath.<br/>“What is going on here?” Dib entered the doorway, turning on the light. Both Gaz and Tak whirled around, their eyes blinking.<br/>“Nothing,” Tak said. “Just a little…quality girl-on-girl bonding time.” Tak put her arm over Gaz’s shoulders and drew her in.<br/>Gaz flashed a huge smile. “Yeah, big bro! Just, uh…girl-on-girl bonding.” Gaz made a mental note to tell Tak what that phrase meant later.<br/>Dib didn’t seem phased. “What’s going on here?” he repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. Zim stayed still and silent against the wall but shot a look towards the back of the room. A salifying neutron-leaper sat on a table, untouched. He swallowed. <br/>“I told you we were going to the lab,” Gaz said, peering at Dib through slit eyes.<br/>“Yeah, and you didn’t tell me why.”<br/>“Because it’s none of your business.”<br/>“Oh, well, why is Zim here, then?” Dib narrowed his eyes. “Some sort of secret Irken meeting?”<br/>“Zim—” Gaz swiveled around. “Zim? What the fuck?”<br/>Zim stayed still. He managed a meek “Hi.”<br/>Gaz’s eyes were wide. “I didn’t know he was here, Dib, I swear.”<br/>“Yeah,” Tak piped up. She opened her mouth to say something else, but quickly shut it. She shot Zim a glare instead.<br/>Zim, now ousted, carried Gir to the salifying neutron-leaper. Gir was unresponsive now, his metal body heavy and dark. He laid him out on the table and opened his head. His motor unit chip was completely corroded. Zim knit his eyebrows. He was so focused that he didn’t realize that the rest of the room had gone quiet.<br/>“No pet doctor?” Dib said. He tried to make it come out mean, but his words sounded soft despite himself. Zim turned to look at him. Dib’s eyes were hard and angry, they always were when he looked at Zim, but under that was a layer of something more tender: worry. <br/>Zim shook his head. “Gir’s motor unit chip has been corroded,” he said flatly. “I can fix it, but it’ll take some time.” He turned back to Gir. The inside of his head was black, like it had been burned. Zim gently took the chip out and laid it flat on the metal table. There was a small, soft white brush in a pen cup. Zim took it out, carefully rubbing away the layer of destruction. “You guys can go now,” Zim called, not turning around.<br/>“And miss a chance to witness an alien robot being rebuilt?” Dib’s words came out in that soft voice again. He tried to smile, but it came out warped and uncomfortable. “No way.”<br/>Gaz kicked his shin. <br/>“Ow! What the hell?”<br/>“Be nice,” Gaz hissed. <br/>“To an alien invader? Never!”<br/>Zim rolled his eyes. The chip was almost clean.</p><p>“Okay, now the moment of truth…” Zim shut the top of Gir’s head with a clang and balanced him on the floor. It took a couple of seconds for Gir to glow back to life. The salifying neutron-leaper, now bent and dark with grease, lay on the floor next to him.<br/>“Look, master! I’m a kite! I’m a kite!” Gir wasted no time in continuing his former reuse. <br/>Zim breathed a sigh of relief. <br/>“Wait,” Gir said, looking around. “I’m no kite. Where am I?” His face contorted with worry. “Master? MASTER?”<br/>“Gir, Gir, I’m right here,” Zim said, bending down on one knee. “You’re okay, you just had a little issue.”<br/>Gir’s face split open in a giant smile. “Master!” He ran in for a hug. Zim patted the top of his head reluctantly. He didn’t want to appear too vulnerable while the Dib-beast was still there, but he smiled faintly despite himself.<br/>“Does he know what happened?” Dib piped up from his seat on a nearby stool. It was dark now, and his whole body was bathed in a warm yellow light from the table lamp. He was the only one left; both Gaz and Tak had stalked out once they realized that they couldn’t be of assistance. Dib had watched Zim tend to Gir, his head resting on his hand, quietly marveling at the delicateness of his fingers as he reconstructed Gir’s parts. Zim didn’t say much during his work, just breathed out an occasional Irken curse when something sparked or didn’t fit. The hours went by like minutes.<br/>“I don’t think so,” Zim responded, not turning around. “Do you remember anything before coming here?” he asked Gir.<br/>“Well…” Gir started, touching his face with a pointy robotic finger, “I woke up, and you were GONE, Master! And I was so worried! But then you were back and then I ate a tasty smoothie! And then you were gone AGAIN! And then a nice little kitty brought me a taco and then I flew around like a kite and then the big-headed boy was there and now he’s here again!”<br/>Zim furrowed his brow. “Might’ve been random, then…” he muttered. He didn’t sound like he believed it.<br/>The call to dinner sounded, and both boys looked out the window at the noise. The moon wasn’t quite full that night, but the stars made up for the lost light. They reflected in Dib’s glasses like glitter. Zim found himself staring. <br/>“What?” Dib wrinkled his nose. “What are you staring at me like that for?”<br/>“Just wondering if all humans are as ugly as you.”<br/>Dib rolled his eyes. His neck was red. <br/>“And I probably don’t need to tell you that I need the tape.”<br/>“Tape? What tape?”<br/>“The tape. You filmed me working on Gir, didn’t you?”<br/>“No…”<br/>Zim stood. “Don’t make me come and get it,” he warned.<br/>“I really don’t have a tape,” he said. “Honest.” He turned his pockets inside out. Dib didn’t mention that his alien detector also doubled as a camera.<br/>Zim eyed him coolly for a moment, then stretched his arms out wide. “Well, according to the loud voice, it is time for the nightly human ritual of the feast.”<br/>Dib cocked one eyebrow. “Dinner,” he said flatly.<br/>“Yes, dinner! I knew that.” Zim wiped his hand on his shirt, then looked down. His plain white t-shirt was covered in grease. He glared at Dib. “Come along, Gir,” he said, marching out the door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dib made it halfway to the mess hall before turning around. He wasn’t hungry, and that weird feeling in his stomach had made his cigarette cravings spiral out of control. <br/>There was no one in the cabin when he got there, and he quietly slipped the small white box and a clear blue lighter into his pocket. He had heard a small river nearby when he was getting ready to read earlier and set out to find it. <br/>The darkness was so black it was thick, and Dib waded through it carefully, stumbling on bushes and rocks. The sound got closer and closer, until he could just see the movement of water reflecting the starry sky. Dib looked to his left. A large rock was partially buried in the riverbank, just waiting to be sat on. Dib took a seat. The small orange flame danced and flickered on the end of his lighter. He took what felt like the longest drag of his life, feeling relaxation unwind his tense shoulders.<br/>His calm only lasted a second.<br/>“SHIT!” he said loudly, his eyes suddenly wide. He straightened up and looked at his cigarette. Tossing it here in the forest was a no-no, so he would just have to take his chance with carrying it out. <br/>His DibPad. Fuck. He had completely forgotten about it. He squeezed his eyes together, trying to pull a memory out from the back of his mind. He didn’t remember seeing it on the chair when he had come to the river. He groaned, standing up and making his way back to the camp.</p><p>Zim sat on his bunk, Gir in his lap. Gir laughed loudly, almost screamed, then settled back down again. Zim’s eyes had been glazed over for a while now—the Crazy Monkey Show had never been his favorite, but it was what Gir was watching on the little TV. <br/>Zim pulled a sandwich out from his overnight bag. He hadn’t packed too many Irken snacks, maybe a days’ worth of meals, but he didn’t feel like taking his chances with the disgusting Earth food. He took a bite of his sandwich, his mind wandering. </p><p>“Gaz,” Dib said quietly, jogging over to the table she and Tak were eating at in the mess hall, “I know this is far-fetched, but have you seen my DibPad?”<br/>Gaz glanced up from her Game Slave. “Did you lose it?” she asked curtly. Her eyes glanced down at his hand, where he was trying to conceal a cigarette between two of his fingers. <br/>“I might’ve…misplaced it.”<br/>Gaz shook her head. “I haven’t seen it, but there might be one in the lab. Otherwise you’re going to have to wait until we get home.”<br/>“Thanks, Gaz. I’ll look.” Dib took off in the direction of the lab for the second time that day.</p><p>“I have,” Tak murmured once Dib was gone.<br/>Gaz flicked her eyes up. “What?”<br/>“I’ve seen his…human technology thing.”<br/>“Dib’s DibPad?”<br/>“Yes, that.”<br/>Gaz stared at her. “Where is it?”<br/>“I have it.”<br/>“Why?”<br/>Tak glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled it out from under her sweater. “I’ve been looking for something like this,” she said quietly. “We need something this advanced to help with the quantum vulp reactor.”<br/>Gaz furrowed her brow. “Why?” she asked again.<br/>“If we can engineer this…DibPad to program the quantum vulp reactor’s core chip, it would save us a lot of work.”<br/>Gaz shrugged. “Okay.”<br/>Tak dropped her voice. “We could start the brainwashing the day after tomorrow.”<br/>Gaz’s eyes widened. “That’s…soon.”<br/>“The sooner the better, right?”<br/>Gaz shrugged. “I guess. When are we going to tell Dib and Zim?”<br/>“I wasn’t planning on telling them…”<br/>“The deal is that they’d be safe, though.” Gaz looked at her, her eyes suddenly hard.<br/>“I’m sure we can switch the brainwashing off once they’ been exposed.”<br/>“You’re sure.” She narrowed her eyes.<br/>“Yeah. Maybe, like, blast a horn in their ear or something.” Tak waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll look into it.”<br/> “Okay.” She said, slowly turning back to her pizza.</p><p>When the bell chimed that evening, Dib was nowhere near the hiking trail. He was in the lab, looking through all the various rooms of beeping, glowing technology, searching for a DibPad or something like it. His search turned up empty.<br/>He put his hands in his hair, standing in the center of the generator room. It was pitch black except for the generator, which sparkled with blue electricity. “FUCK,” Dib yelled to no one. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He could see the glowing embers of his cigarette in an ash tray on the far side of the room. He sighed, defeated.</p><p>Zim did not like nature. He didn’t like nature on any planet.<br/>Afraid he would be further ostracized from the camp of young adults, he reluctantly climbed down from his bunk and told Gir to stay there and stay quiet. Gir saluted in response, then laughed—loudly. Zim pressed his lips together and turned to walk out the door.<br/>For a summer night the air was chilly, and Zim’s skin pricked with the cold. He thought of bringing a jacket but decided he might feel warmer after all the walking. He put his hands in his pockets, scanning the crowd for Dib. He didn’t seem to be present. Neither were Gaz or Tak.<br/>“Alright, campers!” a cheerful and loud voice said from the trailhead. “Just a short hike today! Follow me!” The sea of people moved en masse towards the voice’s flashing white light around her belt loop. Zim hung to the back. No one was looking at him, which was a relief.<br/>All the campers talked and laughed while walking up the mountain; bright flashes of light creating pictures, shoves and giggles of soon to be crushes. No one seemed to be taking in the nature but Zim. Small animals skittered around on the outskirts of the humans’ vision, and Zim’s head whipped to see every one. He pulled a bag of chips out of his pocket and quietly munched, creeping behind the group like he was in a horror movie. Earth creatures were scary—tiny, beady little eyes, shiny like marbles, stared at him through every bush and at the base of every tree. Giant-eared flying animals hung menacingly off low-hanging branches. Zim crept as close to the person in front of him as he could.<br/>“Hey! Get off!” the camper shoved Zim back, his face twisted into a grimace. Two girls on either side of him made the same face. One of them flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and scoffed. Zim fell flat on his back and, disoriented, popped up to find that the campers were gone. <br/>He whirled around, his heart thumping. Noises came from everywhere around him—throaty hoo’s, crunching leaves, ee’s that came close to his head. Zim ducked down, his communicator popping out of his Pak. “Gir!” he whispered loudly, “come get me! Now!”<br/>“After this—”<br/>“Gir! Now!”<br/>“Okie-dokie!” A thundering blastoff shook the ground. Zim could see the smoke through the trees, and a faint flame getting closer and closer.<br/>Critters all around him took off in opposite directions as Gir threw Zim on his back and headed for the main clearing. <br/>“Not there!” Zim yelled over the thrusters. “Somewhere empty!”<br/>“Okie-dokie!” Gir swerved as far right as he could, almost throwing Zim off in the process. He took him back behind the other boy’s cabin, behind the forest, to an empty and old track. Zim jumped off and hit the ground with a thud, landing on his shoulder. He groaned. The rubber had aged and greyed and was rough and cracked under his skin. The moon was glowing so brightly that when Zim sat up he could see completely across. <br/>An old set of weights sat silently on one side. The bar was cracked, but Zim could easily weld it back together. Zim stood up. Maybe this was exactly what he needed. He rubbed his shoulder. He had been feeling tense lately…<br/>Gir curled up next to the weights and took the small screen out of his head. He laughed loudly, and Zim shrugged, thankful that no one could hear him. </p><p>After being unable to find his DibPad, Dib stalked back to his cabin with his head down. He was exhausted and stressed, and since no one else had skipped the hike, he had the cabin all to himself. He was showered and asleep by the time the rest of his cabin got back and despite their loudness, did not awaken until his alarm woke him up at 5:30 AM.</p><p>The sky was pale and watery looking, like it was imitating spring. After he got ready, Dib decided to exhaust every possibility to where his DibPad could be. He checked every trail, every clearing, and every room that was open. He even checked the spot by the river where he had smoked the night before. He noticed a small trail, just barely visible, before he turned around. He figured it had been too dark to see it the night before and walked towards it. <br/>The walk was long. Dib had only checked his watch when he had been walking for about ten minutes and contemplated turning around. But his curiosity got the better of him. Maybe that was where Zim was hiding his Voot Cruiser, or maybe his Tallest were already there. The little bit of hope he had pushed him to keep going.<br/>The trees broke apart to reveal an old, forgotten track, and Dib’s mouth gaped when he realized he had been right about one thing. Zim was there, all right—and he was shirtless. <br/>Dib couldn’t move for several seconds, but thankfully Zim didn’t notice him standing there. Once Dib got his body and brain to work together, he ducked behind a tree. That hot feeling was back in his stomach, and he finally figured out what it was. He pushed it down aggressively. “This is research,” he mumbled to himself. <br/>Gir was fast asleep next to the weights, curled up like an actual dog. Zim was doing push-ups at the head of the track, just a few yards from Dib. His green skin glistened with sweat in the watery summer sun.<br/>Dib fumbled in his jacket pocket for his alien detector. “For research,” he repeated to himself, taking a couple pictures.<br/>Zim stood, his ruby eyes glowing. He was frowning, his antennae straight back. His disguise sat next to Gir. “Gir!” he barked, looking up at the sun. He narrowed his eyes. “I’m guessing it’s about 6:45 AM.” He turned his head. Gir was still asleep. “Gir!” Zim barked again.<br/>This time Gir shot up. “Yes, my master!” he said robotically.<br/>“Hit me with a cleaning brick, Gir!”<br/>“Go long!” Gir screeched, and Zim jogged to the center. Gir hurled a cleaning brick as hard as he could. It must have sped towards Zim at upwards of 110 miles per hour, but he caught it in his left hand like someone had thrown him a cotton ball. Dib gulped.<br/>Zim, cleaning brick in hand, walked to a row of decrepit bricks on the far side of the track. It looked like it used to be a bathroom.<br/>“I know, I know, but humans care about their privacy.”<br/>“Humans care about aliens too, master.”<br/>“Hey, you’re not my mother. Irkens don’t have mothers.”<br/>Gir shrieked in response. Zim ducked down into the building.<br/>Dib was silent. He stared at the track after Zim had gone into the bathroom. He debated leaving or staying. A voice echoed over the forest, signaling the start of breakfast, making his decision for him. He ran back to camp.</p><p>“Are…you okay?” Gaz glanced up at Dib from her pizza. Her brother looked sweaty and red, and his eyes were huge and wild behind his glasses. <br/>“What? Me? Yeah,” Dib nodded, his smile looking more like a wince. “Yeah, yeah.”<br/>Gaz didn’t bother mentioning that his tray had only a single apple on it. He was gripping it so hard he looked like he was going to snap it in half.<br/>Tak didn’t get the memo. “Not hungry?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.<br/>“What?” Dib snapped back to them, like he was surprised to hear her speak. “No…not, uh, feeling too well.”<br/>Gaz didn’t push it. She peered at him through slit eyes.<br/>“Okay, well, good talk.” Dib left his tray on the table and walked out of the room.<br/>“I think Dib needs his DibPad back,” Gaz said softly. Her voice was quiet, but her words were pointed.<br/>Tak did a double take. “What? No. We still need it, at least until tomorrow.”<br/>“Is there any way we can…speed up the process?” Gaz murmured.<br/>Tak stroked her chin, eyes looking off in the distance. “There might be a way…”</p><p>“BREAKFAST TIME!” Gir screeched from the doorway of the mess hall. Zim stood right behind him, looking uncomfortable in a short-sleeved salmon pink button down and white jeans. He rubbed the back of his neck and nudged Gir with his black shoe. “I mean…meow!” Gir rolled over on his back and played dead. <br/>Zim facepalmed and dragged him through the room to a table. The kid with the angry red welt looked down at the table and said, “Am I dreaming again?” Two campers patted the kid’s back affectionately.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There is a mention of blood in this, so read with caution if you are sensitive to that.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“There is only one rule in flag football,” the coach said, his short legs taking him from one side of the field to the other. “No rules.”<br/>“I’m pretty sure that’s wrong,” Dib muttered, rolling his eyes.<br/>“What did you say?” the coach barked, whipping around. His beady little eyes glared up at Dib from red cheeks.<br/>“N—Nothing!” Dib said, straightening up. The coach was at least a foot shorter than Dib, but the way he wore his tiny white tracksuit made Dib think that maybe this guy didn’t care what other people thought.<br/>There was no choice that day. All the campers would either be playing flag football or on the bleachers in the hot sun. Most of the boys had opted to play, and some of the girls were creating a ragtag group of cheerleaders, their chants all out of sync. The boys didn’t seem to care; they appreciated the attention.<br/>Dib was, again, on the home team—the color blue. Zim was on the opposite team—the color red. Zim, although the actual game of football eluded him, was all too happy to remove his shirt when the others on his team did the same, and squat behind the football with an evil grin on his face like he knew what he was doing. Dib’s cheeks turned red and he rolled his eyes. He put his arms around his stomach, thankful that he wasn’t on the shirtless team. Even the thought of being shirtless with Zim was enough to make him feel like he was going to pass out.<br/>Both teams lined up behind the ball. Dib didn’t really like football, nor did he really understand it, but it was a game where he was going to get to throw something as hard as he could. He pressed his lips together. He was glad this wasn’t tackle football.<br/>The sound of the coach’s whistle split the air, and soon both teams were running and throwing. Dib hung out in the back, ready to defend or run. He wasn’t an offensive player. Zim couldn’t say the same.<br/>“I AM ZIM!” Zim screeched, gunning towards the ball. In a fraction of a second it switched hands, and Zim found himself confused, trying to find it. He ran anyway, but was silent.<br/>The ball came sailing towards Dib, and he caught it.<br/>“Dib! Over here!” A teammate waved their arms wildly. Zim ran towards Dib.<br/>“I’ve got you now, Earth-ball!” Zim called, his eyes locking onto the target, his feet starting to move into a sprint.<br/>Dib panicked and chucked the ball as hard as he could in the direction of his teammate.<br/>His teammate never caught it.<br/>Zim went down with a yelp, clutching his face in his hand. He groaned.<br/>Dib just stood there, eyes wide. The whistle cut through the air. “Someone help that green kid!” he called.<br/>The ragtag cheerleading squad, now a ragtag medical squad, helped Zim off the field. <br/>“You.” The coach pointed a fat finger at Dib.<br/>“Me?” Dib squeaked.<br/>“Go help him out.” The coach jerked his thumb over his shoulder then crossed his arms over his chest.<br/>“But—but I—but he’s—”<br/>“Didn’t you hit him?” <br/>Dib hung his head. “Yes.”<br/>“Then wouldn’t it be nice,” he took two slow steps forward, “if you were to take some responsibility for your actions?” The coach glared up at Dib.<br/>Dib pressed his lips together and quickly left the field.</p><p>Gaz kept glancing up from her Game Slave to watch Tak, trying to split her focus. Normally she was fairly good at dividing her attention, but this was a critical level. “Where’s your cat?” Gaz asked nonchalantly.<br/>Tak furrowed her brow, turning to look at her.<br/>“Your…space cat. Michael.”<br/>Tak laughed. “Mimi,” she corrected.<br/>Gaz lifted her chin. “Ah,” she said. “Right.”<br/>“And I don’t know where she is. Normally she’s here…” Tak looked around halfheartedly.<br/>On any other day, Gaz would’ve believed her. She didn’t care enough about Tak’s life, or Zim’s future, to pay any more attention than she had to. But she did, unfortunately, care about her brother—and Tak's behavior towards his DibPad naturally made her a little suspicious.</p><p>Dib kicked a soda can, brooding with his hands in his pockets. The nurse’s tent was just up ahead, behind one of the girls’ cabins. Dib didn’t know why they made it a tent. There was an empty building a foot away. <br/>“Can I help you, honey?” The voice was bright but not forced, with a smile that stretched her thin lips over a too-wide set of teeth. Her frizzy red hair was sloppily tucked into a nurse’s cap.<br/>“Uh…green kid?” Dib asked, rubbing the back of his neck and looking around.<br/>“Behind the curtain, honey.”<br/>Dib tentatively took a step forward. The curtain was an ashy mint green, spotted with what he hoped was rust. A single rickety bed sat in the center, covered in peeling white paint, topped with a thin cot. Zim was laying down, one hand under his head, the other holding an ice pack to the left side of his face. The skin around his eye was already starting to bruise into a rainbow of sickly yellow and deep purple.<br/>“The coach said I have to be here,” Dib blurted out, trying to hide his blushed cheeks.<br/>“He didn’t say you had to touch me, did he?”<br/>Dib shook his head and grimaced. “Gross.”<br/>“Good.” Zim flicked his eyes over to Dib. “Your human stink alone would finish me off.”<br/>“Maybe I should come a little closer, then.”<br/>Zim propped himself up on his elbows, letting the ice pack fall away. His contact lens was surprisingly still attached, but that eye was almost swollen shut. Dib gulped.<br/>“Don’t come closer,” Zim said, his eyes flashing with warning.<br/>Dib took a step forward. He pretended it was for the good of the Earth.<br/>“You dare to test Zim?”<br/>Dib smirked. <br/>“I’ll show you!” Zim used his Pak legs to stand above the bed, towering over Dib like a monster. He jabbed at him with a metal leg, but Dib jerked to the right.<br/>“Jesus!” Dib yelped, surprised. “Are you trying to kill me?”<br/>Zim stabbed at Dib again instead of answering. The leg contacted Dib’s nose, then caught on his lip.<br/>“JESUS!” Dib cried as blood spilled over his chin and to the floor.<br/>“That looks bad,” Zim said, feigning sympathy. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe you should see the nurse.”</p><p>Mimi saluted. “Could not access target, Master.” <br/>Tak shot a look over her shoulder at Gaz, who was watching intently. Her eyes were narrowed.<br/>Tak shushed her. “Good kitty,” she said loudly, in case Gaz was still listening. She was.<br/>“Information unauthorized. Repeat command.” Tak waved her hands as if to tell her to stop.<br/>“Visual information unauthorized. Repeat command.” <br/>“Mimi, shh!”<br/>“Information unauthorized. Repeat command.”<br/>“What target?” Gaz chimed in. She swung her legs off the wooden bench and put her Game Slave on the table. She shoved her hands into her pockets and stood squared off against Tak.<br/>Tak laughed nervously. “What?”<br/>Gaz shrugged and took a step closer. “What target?”<br/>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tak set her mouth in a line and crossed her arms.<br/>“Fine. Mimi!” Gaz called over Tak’s shoulder.<br/>Mimi saluted in response.<br/>“Mimi, no!” Tak hissed, turning around. “Is your motor chip—”<br/>“Who’s the target?” Gaz narrowed her eyes.<br/>“Invader Zim’s Standard-Issue Information Retrieval Unit.”<br/>Gaz locked her eyes onto Tak’s. “Zim’s green dog?”<br/>Tak stayed silent. Her lips moved slightly, as if she was planning out her response in her head.<br/>“I thought we had a deal.” Gaz’s voice was as flat as ever, but a thin layer of rage lay over her words.<br/>Tak opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Gaz took a step backward.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gaz took another step back. “I’m going to need Dib’s DibPad back now,” she said flatly, holding out her hand. Her face was expressionless.<br/>Tak snatched it from the table and held it behind her back.</p><p>There was only one bed.<br/>Dib and Zim lay side by side, their shoulders touching. At first, Dib wouldn’t dare lay down next to him. He stood, an ice pack to his nose, and paced around the side of the tent. Every once in a while he’d get closer, snickering, but one look at Zim’s metal Pak legs as they lifted him from the rickety old bedframe was all Dib needed to send him scurrying back to the edge.<br/>This game had gotten tired after a few minutes.<br/>“Can I lay down?” Dib groaned, holding his face. He was really hamming it up, but he knew Zim couldn’t tell.<br/>Zim rolled his eyes and scooted over. “Your fleshy human meat body couldn’t withstand the sacred Irken art of standing?”<br/>Dib lay down, propping himself up on his elbows. He frowned. “I’m pretty sure that more races than—”<br/>“Shut up.”<br/>Being next to Zim while he was shirtless was making Dib sweat. He hoped Zim couldn’t tell.<br/>“Your heart rate is increasing,” Zim said flatly. <br/>Fuck. Dib laughed nervously. “What?”<br/>“I can feel it.”<br/>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”<br/>Zim didn’t get it. “The heart you have in your human meat body,” he explained slowly, like Dib was a child. “It’s beating faster.”<br/>Dib made a face and scooted over as far as he could. Too far.<br/>He landed on the ground with a yelp. Zim let out a snort. <br/>Dib curled his knees in front of them as Zim rambled on. “At least I, the mighty Zim, could withstand your human stink for longer than you, a feeble Earth-dweller, could withstand my mighty Irken scent!”<br/>Dib popped back up. “You just smell like sweat, Zim.”<br/>“You DARE to smell Zim?”<br/>“You just said—”<br/>“ENOUGH!” Zim stood off the bed, dropping his icepack. His bruise looked angry and yellow, spotted with deep purple blobs like a modern art painting. “I grow weary of your human mind tricks! And your stupid human sports games!” Zim knelt, resting his elbow on the bed. “It’s time to settle this like men!”<br/>Dib raised his eyebrows. “An arm-wrestle? You know what arm-wrestling is?”<br/>“Of course I know what arm-wrestling is.”<br/>“I just—”<br/>“Shut up! Prepare to be destroyed!”<br/>Dib looked at Zim, his eyebrows knit. He really, really didn’t want to touch Zim right now. His face flushed. “Put on a shirt at least,” he muttered.<br/>“Oh?” Zim stood, smirking. “The Dib-beast feels intimidated by Zim’s prime Irken form?” He flexed for emphasis.<br/>Dib’s cheeks were as red as tomatoes. “Zim—” he started, holding out a hand as if to stop him.<br/>“What?” Zim crept closer, still smirking.<br/>Dib turned around and put his hands in his hair. “You’re so—so—”<br/>“So what, Dib-stink?”<br/>Dib squeezed his eyes shut. “Ugh!” he shouted, throwing his hands down and leaving the tent. <br/>He ran directly into Gaz, sending him falling to the floor with a thud. Zim came out from behind the curtain moments later, a smug look on his face.<br/>Gaz looked at Dib’s red face, then Zim, then back at Dib again. “Uh—” she started, putting her hands up.<br/>“It’s not what you think,” Dib blurted.<br/>“Oh, Dib-sister,” Zim said, walking towards them, “it is EXACTLY what you think. The Dib simply could not handle Zim’s Irken might.” He flexed his bicep, as if that would explain everything.<br/>Gaz raised her eyebrows. “Wow,” she said slowly, “is that what you call it?”<br/>Dib facepalmed. Zim continued to look triumphant.<br/>Gaz held up a hand, stopping Dib before he could say anything. “I don’t care. We have a crisis on our hands. Come on.”<br/>Gaz offered Dib and a hand, and he took it.</p><p>“So Tak was planning to double-cross you,” Zim mused, rubbing his chin. “Smart.”<br/>“Are we just going to ignore the fact that Gaz tried to destroy the world?” Dib piped up from the back.<br/>“Yes,” Zim said, ruffling Gaz’s hair. “Yes we are.”<br/>Gaz smacked Zim’s hand away with a growl. “Don’t touch me,” she said darkly. “We’re not friends.”<br/>“Ouch,” Zim muttered, rubbing his hand. Dib snorted.</p><p>Gaz stopped in front of lab door, turning around. “Zim,” she said cautiously, clasping her hands together behind her back. “There’s something else you need to know…”<br/>Zim scratched his head. “What is it?”<br/>Gaz pressed her lips together. “Remember when Gir’s motor unit chip corroded?” she asked gently.<br/>Zim furrowed his brow. “Yeah?”<br/>“Tak sent her space cat to do it.”<br/>Zim stayed silent for a second, his mouth set in a hard line. His eyes bugged out of his head, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Gir had said that a cat had brought him a taco that day…of course. Zim cursed in Irken under his breath, his face dark red under the green. He stepped around Gaz, his footsteps sure and firm. He swung the door open.<br/>“Do you have a death wish?” he shouted, stopping in the doorway, hands open like claws. He was panting as if his body was preparing him for battle.<br/>Dib and Gaz glanced at each other nervously. Getting in the middle of an Irken fight was not on their summer camp to-do list.<br/>Tak was hard at work at the wooden table, her back to them. Mimi sat menacingly next to her; red eyes slit. Tak stood up, shook out her hair, and turned around with a smile on her face.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why would you hurt Gir?” Zim took a step forward. His whole face was twisted in anger.<br/>Tak laughed dismissively. <br/>“What threat was he to you?”<br/>“You won’t find him until it’s too late,” Tak snarled.<br/>Zim charged forward, his Pak legs growing and carrying him the rest of the way. She easily sidestepped out of his way. He hit the table, jostling its contents.<br/>“You’re letting your anger cloud your judgement,” Tak said, shaking her head. “Tsk-tsk. That’s Irken invader 101.”<br/>Zim swiveled, his eyes burning. “I’ll tear this whole place apart if I have to.”<br/>“Good. Less for me to destroy, then.”<br/>Zim lunged for her, but she rolled between his legs and popped up behind him.<br/>“Relax,” she said, waving her hand. “This will be a win for the entire Irken race. What’s one dysfunctional SIR unit when the Tallest’s admiration is up for grabs?”<br/>Zim turned to look back at Gaz and Dib. Their heads were close together, peering into the room. Gaz opened her mouth wide to scream, and Zim braced himself, ready to feel flesh ripping from bone, or whatever horrible things Tak had planned…<br/>“Ten minutes to lunch.”<br/>Her voice sounded so mundane, flat as ever, that it pulled the two Irkens out of their fight for a moment.<br/>Zim glanced at Tak. Her eyes were wild and her mouth was shut tight, like she was trying to keep from laughing. Only Dib looked down at the ground, brows furrowed, and put a hand on his chin. <br/>“Ten minutes to lunch…” he mused quietly. <br/>Gaz elbowed him, eyes wide. “Ten minutes to lunch.” She enunciated every word.<br/>Dib’s eyes widened. “Oh my God,” he murmured. “Ten minutes to lunch!”<br/>“Zim—” Gaz started, but Tak cut in.<br/>“Don’t!” She leaned against the table, trying to look nonchalant. Her posture, rigid and nervous, betrayed her. Zim narrowed his eyes. “If you didn’t tell already, you’re not going to.”<br/>“She’s gonna—” Gaz tried again, reaching her hand out.<br/>“I’ll take out your immunity!” Tak pointed a finger at her.<br/>“My…what?”<br/>“I put something in your brain when you were asleep. It’s not important.”<br/>Gaz grabbed her head, her eyes seething. “You…what?”<br/>“It was to keep you immune from the—” she glanced at Zim “—the lunch thing.” She shrugged. “I was only protecting you.”<br/>Dib took offense to this. “Hey! I can protect her fine!”<br/>Tak grimaced. “Really? I put something in her brain, dude.”<br/>Gaz turned to Dib. “Yeah, man, you really should stay out of this.”<br/>Dib lowered his head, defeated.<br/>“WHAT IS GOING ON AT MIDDAY HUMAN FEAST?” Zim called out suddenly, tired of the elephant in the room. Everyone was silent around him for a moment, then Tak and Gaz charged towards him, both speaking at once.<br/>“Tak is releasing this noise brain thing that mind-controls—”<br/>“Nothing is happening at lunch there is just going to be a big human bread-food buffet—”<br/>“—and then she’s going to take over the camp—”<br/>“—there’s going to be stuff on this human bread so all the humans are very excited—”<br/>“SILENCE!” Zim screamed. “Dib-thing, what is going on at lunch?”<br/>“Tak is using a quantum vulp reactor to control everyone’s minds through the loudspeaker,” Dib said, leaning against the doorjamb.<br/>Zim looked at Gaz. “Why didn’t you tell Zim about this on the way over here?”<br/>“She tried, but you were too busy talking about yourself.”<br/>Zim shrugged. “Zim is amazing,” he mused.<br/>“Enough about Zim!” Tak stood on the table. “There is nothing you can do to stop me from destroying this Earth and delivering it to my Tallest!”<br/>“Where’s the reactor, Tak?” Dib rushed over and stood at the table.<br/>“Ha!” Tak laughed. “Like I would tell you.”<br/>“Shit,” Dib muttered. “I thought that might work.”<br/>“You puny, insignificant things will never find where I have cleverly hid—”<br/>“Mimi had it,” Gaz said, holding it up.<br/>Tak turned around, eyes round in surprise. “What?”<br/>“Mimi had it,” Gaz repeated. “Thanks Mimi.” Mimi saluted then slunk off into the darkness. “How do we turn it off?”<br/>Both Zim and Dib started for Gaz at the same time, their shoulders touching. Dib jumped away as fast as he could. Tak snickered.<br/>Zim frowned at Dib then turned to Tak. “What’s so funny?”<br/>Tak continued to laugh, her hands resting on her stomach. <br/>Dib and Gaz looked at each other uneasily. Zim kept his hard gaze on Tak.<br/>Tak pretended to wipe a tear from one of her contact lenses. Dib assumed that the drama gene was present in all Irkens and fought the urge to roll his eyes. He repeated Zim’s question instead: “What’s so funny?”<br/>“You stupid, stupid humans,” she said, shaking her head, “and also Zim.” She paced the table, marching like a true soldier, her head held high. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t have a backup?” She shrugged. “Smash it if you want. It will only set off the other timer.” She grinned wickedly. “And I know you’ll never find that.”<br/>“Seven minutes,” Gaz warned, checking her watch. The glowing blue tube crackled with electricity under her arm. The WiFi symbol was visible at the end, all three lines brightly lit. Zim had just enough time to wonder if that little design element was necessary before Dib’s hands touched his back, sending a jolt of electricity through Zim’s body. <br/>Dib shoved Zim towards Gaz. “Alright, space boy,” Dib said. “It’s your time to shine.”<br/>Zim frowned and struggled free from Dib’s grasp. “First of all,” he started, holding up a finger, “Zim is always shining. Second,” he crossed his arms over his chest, “I thought the Dib loved science.”<br/>“We don’t have time for this conversation,” Gaz piped up, her eyes glued to the watch. To her horror, the seconds kept counting down. The ticking was all she could hear.<br/>Zim shook his head. “I’d need my lab to figure out how to dispose of it.”<br/>“But you fixed Gir here.”<br/>“That was an easy fix. I don’t even really know what a quantum vulp reactor is.”<br/>Dib opened his mouth, but a loud crash swallowed his words.<br/>The shattered remnants of the tube lay at her feet. Blue ooze spread out from where she stood, buzzing with shocks of electricity. “I fixed it,” Gaz said flatly.<br/>Tak, Zim, and Dib all stood in silence, their mouths gaping. <br/>Dib lifted a finger. “Did you just—”<br/>Zim whipped his head to the entrance. A noise filled the room—the sound of a loudspeaker crackling to life. Something whirred in the back room, along with what sounded like a gargle.<br/>Tak laughed maniacally. “It’s starting!” she shouted gleefully.<br/>A high-pitched noise assaulted Dib’s ears. He clamped his hands over them and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt his eyesight start to go dizzy and blurry even with his glasses. He dropped to one knee. “Turn…it…off…!” he said through grit teeth.<br/>Gaz and Zim glanced at each other, then at Tak. The female invader was too busy admiring her handiwork. Tak looked out the small window triumphantly as people fell to their feet.<br/>They slipped into the back room just as Dib got to his feet, his eyes glazed over. “All hail invader Tak,” he said in a flat voice. The sentiment was echoed by the rest of the camp as they stood as still and silent as statues.<br/>“Where would you hide a mind-control device,” Gaz hissed, ducking down and quickly walking along the tile floor, “if you were a good invader?”<br/>Zim shot her a look. “Well, Zim doesn’t know if he wants to tell you now.”<br/>Gaz rolled her eyes. “C’mon.”<br/>Zim sighed, straightening up. The room was dark, and the whirring and gargling noises were no longer present.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Do you know your way around here?” Zim hissed, crouching on the white tile floor.<br/>Gaz shook her head, brows furrowed. “Why would I?”<br/>“Well, I know it’s your parental units’…”<br/>“My dad?” Gaz glanced over her shoulder. “Dib is the one who is into all that stuff. I know a little, but not enough.” Gaz sighed. “Dib would know what to do.”<br/>Both of their heads swiveled at the sound of a large crash.<br/>“EARTHLINGS!” Tak cried as the humans entered the room by breaking down the wall, completely ignoring the empty door, “ATTACK THE TRAITORS!”<br/>Gaz and Zim locked eyes. Guz muttered out a curse. “Come on,” she hissed, grabbing Zim’s wrist and pulling him along the wall, deeper into the building.<br/>“Where are we going?”<br/>“I don’t know. I have a feeling that something is in here, though…”<br/>“Do you have any idea where Gir might be?” Zim’s eyes were pleading.<br/>Gaz shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry,” she said.<br/>Zim pressed his lips together. “Well, we should probably go somewhere safe and think up a plan.”<br/>“Wouldn’t that make Tak suspicious?”<br/>“She’s already suspicious.”<br/>Gaz nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true.”<br/>Zim’s eyes lit up. “I know a place,” he said, grabbing her arm.</p><p>“This looks like it was from a hi-skool,” Gaz mused, stepping out into the clearing.<br/>“A what?”<br/>“A hi-skool.”<br/>Zim thought for a moment. “Ah yes,” he remembered finally. “Human education.” He shook his head. “Very complicated,” he muttered to himself.<br/>Gaz sat in the middle of the field. “Okay,” she sighed, “we know that Tak is using a backup to power her mind-control loudspeaker.” She turned her head to the forest and craned her neck. “I can still hear it a little. I don’t think she has a plan for what to do once that stops…”<br/>“She might not plan on stopping it,” Zim said, sitting across from her. He drew his knees up to his chin. “At least until she has another plan.”<br/>“Well, in that case, if we destroy the generator in the lab…”<br/>Zim nodded. “That might work,” he mused, “but we’ll have to get back in there first.”<br/>Gaz sighed. “You’re right.” She put her head in her hands.<br/>“We haven’t tried calling for Gir yet,” he said halfheartedly. He stood, and the communicator shot out of his pack and into his hand. “Gir?” he said tentatively, his back to Gaz. There was nothing but static on the other end. He tried again. “Gir?”<br/>Zim pressed his lips together and turned back to Gaz, shaking his head slowly.<br/>Gaz looked away. “Looks like we’re in it for the long haul, then,” she muttered.<br/>Zim looked around. They should be safe there, unless Tak had implemented some sort of superior sense of smell in the humans’ brains. He thought about it for a second, then cast it aside. It sounded impossible, but with Tak’s crazy ambition…<br/>“Roll in mud,” Zim thought aloud.<br/>Gaz furrowed her brow. “What?”<br/>“What’s that human zombie show? Undead Walkers? Walking Zombies?”<br/>“…The Walking Dead?”<br/>“Yes! That one. They roll in mud to confuse the zombies’ sense of smell, right?”<br/>Gaz shook her head, frowning. “No,” she said matter-of-factly, “you’re thinking of Predator.”<br/>Zim waved his hand dismissively. “Whatever. I think Tak—”<br/>“No ‘whatever’! Those are two completely different franchises!”<br/>“Zim cares not for your filthy human entertainment! Zim only cares about rescuing Gir and the Dib and making sure Tak leaves so Zim can finally enact his genius plan!”<br/>They both stared at each other for a moment, the corner of Gaz’s mouth creeping up with every passing second.<br/>Zim frowned. “What?”<br/>She shrugged cheekily. “Nothing,” she said, still smiling.<br/>Zim stomped towards her. “Zim demands to know!”<br/>“It’s just…” Gaz’s mouth was twisted, like she was trying not to laugh. “Why would you want to save Dib?”<br/>“Save Dib?!” Zim looked at her, aghast. “Zim said nothing of the sort!”<br/>“Yes, you did.”<br/>“Zim did not!”<br/>“Yes.”<br/>“No!”<br/>“Yes!”<br/>“No! Why would I say that?”<br/>Gaz shrugged; eyebrows raised suggestively. “Maybe you…care about him?”<br/>Zim scratched the back of his head, the air around them suddenly feeling heavy and hot. His mind wandered back to the jolt of electricity when Dib had touched his back…<br/>“I don’t care,” Zim said quietly. He didn’t sound convincing.<br/>Gaz looked to the side. “Okay…” she said, drawing the word out.<br/>Zim tapped his chin with a green finger. “So…mud?”<br/>Gaz made a face, disgusted. “Absolutely not.”<br/>“But Tak might—”<br/>“Then let her find us. Without Dib or Gir I feel like we’re dead meat anyways.”<br/>Zim sat down cross-legged next to her, his eyes intense and a little hurt. “Gaz has no faith in Zim?”<br/>She sighed. “I didn’t say that,” she said through grit teeth.</p><p>Dib was trapped inside his own mind.<br/>He could scream at the top of his lungs, will with all his might for his body to do something else, and his frame would stay still and silent, plopped on a chair like an old doll. His mouth was open a little, and flies kept landing on his lips, but Dib couldn’t shoo them away. He couldn’t do anything. His mind circled frantically, trying to escape, but it was no use. He was stuck.<br/>Would he die here?<br/>Would this be his last thought?<br/>There was a mirror across from his chair and he looked into it as intently as he could, trying to get his brain and his body to interact. He focused as hard as he could, until it felt like everything in his head would pop, brain and guts and blood splattered everywhere…<br/>Then he saw it. His eye, glazed over like a dark chocolate truffle, twitched. He focused again, harder this time. It twitched again.<br/>Tak was talking into her communicator and, satisfied with the extent of his free will, tuned in to listen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zim looked at the sky. He tried to find Irk, to feel some sense of belonging or home, but the stars just blinked coldly, unfazed by his yearning. Zim turned his head.<br/>Gaz was curled up into a ball despite the heat. She was fast asleep, as far as Zim could tell, but her brow was furrowed like she was dreaming something upsetting. She grunted deep in her throat and rolled over, and Zim looked back up.<br/>Irkens didn’t sleep, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to even if they did.<br/>The high-pitched screech could still be heard through the dense forest. Zim looked at the trees, then back at Gaz. <br/>Should he go searching?<br/>He hated the thought of leaving her alone, and he cursed himself for feeling that way. Damn it. Tak was right: the humans’ softness, general kindness, and the intrinsic need for connection were getting to him. He sat up straight and gulped. No matter. There was nothing colder than leaving a friend alone in the dark. </p><p>The walk through the dense trees was louder than Zim expected, and he cursed under his breath whenever he snapped a twig or brushed a bush. The darkness pricked at the skin behind his neck, and when he reached the small river and the glowing lights that lay beyond it, he had to fight the urge to breathe a very audible sigh of relief. Humans shuffled around the dusty campground like zombies, stalking from one end of the area to the other, mouths dripping open, eyes glassy and hazy. <br/>Zim hauled off a rock in the opposite direction and delighted for a moment in the humans’ stumbling. Then, without a sound, he ran to the lab, ducking behind overstuffed trash cans and rotten wooden signs. <br/>Zim peered around the doorframe of the mess hall, his body hidden in the shadow of the awning. He glanced up. The moon was especially bright tonight, which meant that he’d have to be more careful. Zim was just getting ready to make a break for it, to run as fast as his invader training could take him, to the lab to find Dib. But just as his first foot moved, he caught the reflection of a large pair of glasses. <br/>Dib rocked side to side slowly on a wooden chair. His body was limp, mouth hanging open, but his eyes were alive. They called to Zim. <br/>Zim dared not make a sound. He just stared, his mind running through various scenarios of breaking Dib out. He couldn’t just waltz in there. He had to think, and fast: the humans had already gotten bored of the rock Zim had thrown and were lumbering back into view. Zim glanced quickly behind him. The loudspeaker was still emitting that high pitched noise. It was covered in peeling white paint, rusted red underneath. <br/>Without thinking, Zim picked up a rock by his feet, said a silent Irken Hail Mary, and threw it full force at the loudspeaker’s head. The noise dropped an octave, and the campers stopped.<br/>Now was his chance. If the frequency of the sound didn’t determine the mind control, he was toast. <br/>Zim didn’t bother creeping along the wall—he quickly walked over to Dib, who grunted in response, and slung him over his shoulders. Dib’s hands were bound and there was a large welt on his right temple. Zim had no problem carrying him. Despite his size, Dib’s body was not quite a match for Zim’s brute Irken strength. The frequency of the mind control sound was still messed up, but he could hear Tak yelling from the lab. Zim broke to his right, jogging lightly until they came across the nurse’s tent. It was tattered and empty. Zim deposited Dib on a cold stone table in the decrepit and old nurse’s building, then crept next door to get an ice pack. <br/>“Ice pack, ice pack…” Zim mumbled to himself, being careful to not leave any evidence of his arrival. He finally found them behind the desk, stuffed into a large container that the nurse was clearly using as a bench. Most of them were soggy, but there was one all the way at the bottom that was still half frozen.<br/>Zim gagged as he reached through the old ice packs to fetch the single good one. “Human filth…” he muttered, walking out of the tent and into the building.<br/>“That’s not what you use to treat blood,” Dib groaned from his vertical state on the stone table.<br/>“Good,” Zim said sourly, “then it will kill you faster.”<br/>“Why didn’t you get a bandage?” Dib shot back.<br/>“Glad you can finally converse. Sit up,” Zim barked.<br/>Dib made a face but took the ice pack anyway, hissing at the contact with his head. He swung his legs over the side and slumped forward.<br/>“Where’s Gaz?” Dib’s voice was thick now, the sound reverberating inside his head, making his teeth grind.<br/>“Fine.”<br/>“Fine?”<br/>“I’m sure she’ll survive.”<br/>“You left her alone?!” Dib shouted, jumping off the table. He immediately crumpling to the ground. “You…fucker…” he wheezed, straining to stand.<br/>Zim, his jaw clenched tight, lifted him up once more and deposited him onto the table with a thud. Dib grunted, but slowly sat back up, swinging his legs over the side of the table again. “How could you leave her alone?” Despite his anger, Dib’s eyes felt heavy, and he didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to stay awake.<br/>“I didn’t just…leave her,” Zim muttered, staring at the floor, his arms crossed.<br/>“Oh, great, so what did you do? Leave her a note?”<br/>Zim stayed silent.<br/>“What did it say? ‘Thanks for your help, hope Tak doesn’t kill you’?” Dib was yelling now despite his exhaustion.<br/>Zim turned to look at him cautiously. “It said…”<br/>Dib waited.<br/>Zim’s eyes hardened. “Yeah,” he said curtly. “That’s what it said.”<br/>Dib huffed in response, averting his eyes while his cheeks bloomed red. Zim stalked to the side of the room and crouched down, frowning. No other words were said until Dib let out a groan of pain a few moments later, the angry red welt hitting him full force.<br/>Zim stood up, sliding his back up the wall. He held out a hand to Dib carefully, like he was afraid he might bite. “Let me try,” he said softly.<br/>Dib jerked away. Zim tried again, but Dib swung his legs over to the other side of the table. “Stop!” he called out, his voice echoing in the dark chamber. Zim dropped his hand slowly. <br/>“I didn’t just leave her,” he repeated.<br/>“I don’t care.”<br/>Zim nodded. “Zim wanted you to know.” He turned towards the wall, going back to where he had been sitting.<br/>“Why did you even bother?” Dib said, his voice low and quiet.<br/>Zim stopped. He looked over his shoulder.<br/>“Why did you even bother saving me?” Dib’s voice was a little louder this time.<br/>Zim took a few steps towards him. “I need your help,” he said slowly. Zim rolled the words around his tongue, marveling at their unfamiliarity.<br/>Dib snorted, then grimaced at the pain. “You bet your ass you do, spaceboy,” he said through grit teeth, eyes squeezed shut.<br/>Zim started to walk around to Dib’s side, taking slow and even steps.<br/>“Do you promise you didn’t just leave her alone?” Dib whispered once Zim was in front of him. There was a flickering old lamp somewhere on the floor, and it cast a glow on Zim’s face. His green skin was illuminated by the gold light. Dib sucked in a breath.<br/>“I promise,” Zim said just as quietly, his hands in his pockets. He looked at Dib intently for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. “Or whatever,” he added.<br/>More silence as dried blood fell from Dib’s head. Then Zim leaned in; cautiously at first, but with a firmness that neither of them expected.<br/>Zim put his hands on Dib’s knees and Dib sat up straight, surprised by the contact. He still had the ice pack pressed to the right side of his forehead, but his eyes, formerly glazed over with exhaustion and pain, were completely alert behind his glasses. A blush was starting to creep its way across his cheeks and nose, much to his chagrin.<br/>“Zim wants to know…” Zim started, his eyes hard and cold and looking directly at Dib. Zim turned away, looking at the wall. A muscle worked in his jaw. His weight was almost fully on Dib’s knees now, and Dib squirmed under him, anxious. A prickle made its way up his spine. “Zim wants to know,” he started again, his voice dropping as his head lowered to look at the floor. <br/>“What?” Dib said, sounding more irritated than he felt.<br/>“…who did this to you.” The last few words were barely over a whisper.<br/>Dib opened and closed his mouth. “It wasn’t—I mean, it was—” <br/>Zim’s eyes were hard and focused but pleading underneath.<br/>“I fell,” Dib blurted out lamely after a few moments of silence.<br/>Zim leaned back, removing his hands. “You fell?” He didn’t sound convinced.<br/>“Yeah.” Dib rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, averting his eyes.<br/>Zim blinked. “Foolish clumsy human,” he said, forcing a smile.<br/>Dib let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “Yeah.”<br/>They both looked around, the silence deafening. Zim put his hands back in his pockets. “We should probably get to work on a plan,” he said.<br/>“Yeah.”<br/>“Not that I’d ever want to work with a disgusting human, especially the Dib-beast.”<br/>“Okay.”<br/>“Because you’re disgusting.”<br/>“Okay.”<br/>“And I hate you.”<br/>“I get it, man. I—” Dib stopped, making a face. “I hate you too.”<br/>Zim nodded. “Zim would prefer if you were fearful,” he said, shrugging, “but okay.”</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gaz awoke alone. There was a folded-up piece of paper next to her head, but the writing was so messy she could barely make out the words. The sentiment was clear, however: Zim went to rescue Dib, and Gaz was supposed to go find Gir.<br/>There was still a screeching noise beyond the trees, and Gaz rubbed her head. What did she sleep through? She hoped they were both okay.<br/>She stood. Her hair was plastered to her face and she unstuck it from her cheeks and forehead. She looked around. Gaz didn’t know where to start, and she breathed a sigh of frustration. Of course Zim had to go rescue her brother and she would be stuck finding a robot she knew nothing about.<br/>She patted the pocket of her light purple hoodie, satisfied that her Game Slave was still there. She closed her eyes.<br/>Okay, I’m in a video game, she thought to herself. The mission: find the little robot dog. What was his name? Gir? Yeah, that sounds right. Find Gir the robot dog. <br/>She opened her eyes. Where would a video game character start?<br/>She looked around. She couldn’t be affected by the noise, but the campground was crawling with enemies. Without any defenses, she’d be toast. Gaz furrowed her brow. They were just humans, so a swift punch or kick would be enough to put them down--at least for a little while. <br/>Gaz tapped her chin with a finger. Where would Tak hide Gir? Gir was not an easy thing to keep hidden.<br/>Maybe she was thinking about it all wrong. Maybe he was hiding in plain sight. Maybe his unpredictable nature had made him impossible to hide, so she was putting him to work somewhere, or just letting him tire himself out. Gaz could look for Tak’s ship, but she had a feeling she didn’t have one—otherwise, what was the point of using the lab? That was enemy turf, and there had been no guarantee that she’d be able to use it when she came on this trip.<br/>A flash of red brought Gaz out from her deep thoughts. She didn’t dare say anything, but a video game character would at least investigate. She sucked in a breath and cautiously stepped towards the edge of the woods. <br/>A flash of silver, like a whisper, with two big red eyes.<br/>“Mimi,” Gaz said, relieved. “You can come here.”<br/>Mimi peered out from behind a tree. She didn’t seem to be hurt, but there was something in her demeanor that made Gaz think that Tak hadn’t taken too kindly to Mimi’s betrayal.<br/>Mimi slunk out towards Gaz, recognizing her as a friend, and slumped on her feet. Gaz felt a strange, uncharacteristic amount of affection towards the little robot. She patted her head like she’d been doing it for years.<br/>“Can you help me?” Gaz asked gently.<br/>“Gir,” Mimi said, her voice sputtering.<br/>Gaz nodded. “That’s right. Do you know where he is?”<br/>“Office,” Mimi said. “Power. Sound.”<br/>“He’s in the office?”<br/>“Affirmative.”<br/>“Can you take me?”<br/>“Affirmative.”<br/>“How are we going to get past all the people?”<br/>Mimi stared at her with her giant red eyes, unblinking. She didn’t seem to have any idea either.<br/>Gaz let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “Alright,” she started, sitting, “well we can make a plan, right?”<br/>Mimi saluted in response.<br/>Gaz put her head in her hands. “Got any ideas?” she asked, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face.<br/>“Office.”<br/>“I know.”<br/>“Office. Power.”<br/>“But can you help?”<br/>“Power. SIR.”<br/>Gaz furrowed her brow.<br/>“Power. Office.”<br/>Gaz stood, her back aching. She grimaced. The effects of sleeping on the ground had finally caught up to her. “Well let’s go to the edge of the forest,” she said, stepping towards the line of trees. “Maybe something will inspire us over there.”</p><p>Gaz’s sneakers crunched the underbrush beneath her feet. Mimi, strapped to Gaz’s back, was as light as anything and made comforting, robotic chirping noises.<br/>The camp, dusty and crawling with people, sprawled before them. Gaz didn’t see Zim or her brother, which was a relief. She peeked her head around a boulder she was crouching behind. “Any ideas?” she whispered to Mimi.<br/>Mimi pointed to the office with her little metal finger.<br/>Gaz pressed her lips together, fighting to conceal a sigh of frustration. The cream-colored building was glowing from the inside. “But how do we get there?” Gaz whispered.<br/>Mimi jumped off Gaz’s back. A little satellite dish formed around her antennae. She turned and displayed a screen on her back: a flashing blue display.<br/>“Oh,” Gaz said. “Oh.” Mimi looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know how to, um…” Gaz pushed randomly on the screen. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. There seemed to be details on the screen, but they were all in Irken: illegible to Gaz. She pressed her lips together.<br/>“Hey,” a voice hissed from over her left shoulder. Gaz whipped around in surprise.<br/>Dib and Zim squatted behind her. They looked a little disheveled, like they had slept on the floor, but otherwise fine. Dib had torn-up cotton balls stuffed in his ears. Neither of them looked embarrassed, which Gaz took note of.<br/>“You okay?” Dib whispered, concerned. He had a large red scab on the right side of his face.<br/>Gaz nodded and jerked her chin at his head. “What happened?”<br/>Dib glanced at Zim nervously. “I fell,” Dib said unconvincingly. Zim’s eyes were locked on the people as they teetered across the camp.<br/>“Can either of you help me?” Gaz looked up at them.<br/>“Step aside, Dib-beast,” Zim said, stretching up. <br/>Dib pulled on the hem of Zim’s shirt—a tan CAMP MEMBRANE number that they had found in the nurse’s building—and hissed, “Get down! They’ll see us.”<br/>Zim smacked Dib’s hand away and strode confidently to Gaz, commanding her to step out of the way as well. Gaz slunk over to her brother, shooting him a look. Dib tried to conceal the hurt behind his eyes, but his sister knew him too well.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few clicks later and Zim was muttering in Irken, the device’s blue screen blooming with more buttons to press.<br/>“What are you doing?” Dib whispered, crawling next to him.<br/>“It seems,” Zim said, glancing up to fiddle with the satellite, “that Zim can intercept the signal and stop the noise.”<br/>Dib cocked his head. “Can’t we just throw something at it again?”<br/>Gaz crouched next to Dib, wide-eyed. “Dudes! Why would you do that?” Zim and Dib turned to Gaz as if they just realized she was there. Gaz glanced between the two uncomfortably. “I just mean…it’s probably going to be extra-fortified now.”<br/>Zim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The sister of the Dib-beast is right.”<br/>Gaz rolled her eyes. “I have a name,” she said clearly, crossing her arms.<br/>“I know,” Zim said, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s…” He leaned in dramatically. “…Gus?”<br/>Gaz narrowed her eyes. “I have no problem feeding you to Tak.”<br/>Zim made a face. “Tak doesn’t eat Irken meat. She’s no cannibal.” He waited for a beat before continuing. “…Gus.”<br/>Gaz’s face turned red. “I swear I’ll--!” She tackled him to the ground.<br/>“Guys,” Dib said nervously, sitting up on his knees. “Be quiet!” The humans were starting to take notice, turning their lethargic bodies towards the noise.<br/>Zim and Gaz were surrounded by a cloud of tan dust, growling curses or yelping.<br/>The humans pointed sloppily, opening their mouths to call out the only word their brainwashed minds knew how to use: “TRAITORS! TRAITORS!” More and more of them turned towards the call. <br/>Zim and Gaz stopped fighting, Gaz kneeling next to Zim with one foot in between his legs. His left arm was pinned above his head, and Zim was thrashing and trying to get his right arm free.<br/>“What? What?” Gaz, Zim, and Dib could all hear Tak’s yelling from all the way across the camp. “Where?” <br/>Mimi whimpered and scurried off into the forest in a flash of silver.<br/>“Mimi--!” Gaz reached for her, but it was too late. “Crap,” she breathed, sitting back on her heels. <br/>Zim sat up and rubbed his head. “This is not good,” he said matter-of-factly.<br/>All three of them got to their feet. “What do we do?” Dib hissed, glancing at Zim.<br/>“Fight?” Zim said, pointing at Dib. He pointed at Gaz next. “Fight?”<br/>“What? No! We can’t fight all these people!” Gaz said, frowning.<br/>“Speak for yourself,” Zim said pointedly, a weapon that looked like an airplane jet popping out of his Pak, the inside glowing as if it was charging up.<br/>“We can’t just kill all these people!” Dib yelled over the chanting.<br/>“Why not?”<br/>“It’s not ethical!?”<br/>“Eh? Zim cares not about their puny human lives.”<br/>Gaz glanced around. Any second Tak was going to pop out and shoot them, or stun them, or something else equally evil and painful. They were lucky the humans weren’t moving, or couldn’t remember how to.<br/>“If we’re going to escape,” Gaz yelled as the chanting became louder, “we’d better do it now!”<br/>All three of them whipped their heads to the right as they heard a loud clang. Seconds later, Tak came walking out, brushing something off her leg. “Stupid humans,” she muttered, “don’t know how to clean…” She lifted her head. “Well? Where are they?”<br/>The humans continued to chant and point to an empty spot.<br/>Gaz pressed her body as close as she could to the back of the tree, holding her breath. A baby could’ve come up with a better idea than Dib’s. Ugh.<br/>She risked glancing to her left, where Zim and Dib were pressed against one tree. Dib was having some problems with his head, or so Zim claimed, and Zim had grabbed his arm and dragged him to hide. Dib had opened his mouth to protest, but Zim already had his hands on his arms, pressing him into the tree as he peered out the side. It was easy to forget that Zim had real military training, but one look at Dib’s dark red face told Gaz that that was all he was thinking about.<br/>“Answer me!” Tak yelled, pointing a green finger at the humans as they stared, their eyes blank. Tak huffed, then marched back to the lab. “Useless humans,” she called over her shoulder. “Useless! Now pipe down!”<br/>One by one they lost interest, once again deciding to pace around the camp. <br/>Zim peaked his head out once more. His face was determined, his brows slightly furrowed, his mouth set in a strong line. He jerked his chin at Gaz, indicating that it was safe to move a little. <br/>Gaz quickly glanced at the humans and ran low to the ground to Zim and Dib. Dib was still pressed against the tree, his hand to his head.<br/>“We should split up,” Gaz hissed, crouching down and motioning for them to do the same. They obliged. “One of us should find Mimi, one of us should get to Gir in the office—”<br/>“WHAT?” Zim yelled. A dozen lazy heads turned to face the noise, their mouths hanging open.<br/>“Zim, shut up,” Dib whispered, frowning.<br/>“Gir is where?” Zim said, looking at Gaz.<br/>“In the office. Mimi told me earlier.”<br/>“Zim will get Gir,” he said, standing and brushing his hands on his jeans.<br/>“What about us?” Dib hissed.<br/>“You can go find Mimi.”<br/>Dib wobbled on his feet a little, then grunted with pain.<br/>Gaz grabbed his arm. “Maybe he should lie down.”<br/>Zim shook his head. “No time. I’m sure his weak human body can last a little longer.” He shrugged. “Besides, if the Dib-beast gets tired I could carry him.”<br/>Gaz glanced at Dib. “Could you?” she asked Zim, eyebrows raised.<br/>“Yes,” Zim replied matter of factly. “His feeble meat-sack is no match for my Irken strength.”<br/>“Yeah, you should definitely take him with you.”<br/>Dib didn’t argue, but Gaz noticed that he stumbled on his feet a little more than necessary. She rolled her eyes as she started off into the forest.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mimi,” Gaz hissed, stepping through the forest. Every once in a while she tossed a look over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed. “Mimi!”<br/>
A flash of silver in a great tree above her caught her eye. She whipped her head up, her eyes widening.<br/>
What she saw was not Mimi.</p><p>The walk to the office was surprisingly easy, but Zim still grumbled all the way. Dib was leaning lightly on him, and Zim had his arm craned up around Dib’s shoulders. It was an uncomfortable position, but not unwanted; even as the Summer heat beat down on the two of them, Zim found himself not minding the human’s warmth.<br/>
They encountered a few brainwashed humans, but if they were quick enough to leave before they realized who they were they didn’t have any problems.<br/>
Zim kicked open the locked door, his face twisting. The walk there had been so simple. He knew Gaz wasn’t dumb, but still: never leave an Earthling to do an Irken’s job.<br/>
“Can you walk?” Zim barked at Dib, his hands on his hips. He glared at Dib from the dark entrance.<br/>
Dib held up a hand to his head. “I think so,” he said meekly.<br/>
Zim motioned for him to follow. “Stay close,” he whispered.<br/>
Dib smiled dumbly, then caught himself. He was thankful it was dark.<br/>
“Gir,” Zim hissed, crouching along the floor. Dib followed suit.<br/>
“This place looks empty,” Dib murmured, standing up to his full height.<br/>
“What are you doing? Get down!”<br/>
“Why?” Dib gestured around him. “There’s no one here.”<br/>
Zim frowned, standing. “Are you saying that your sister gave us false information?”<br/>
Dib took a step forward. “No,” he said, “but if Gir was here, he’s not now.”<br/>
“This would mean that Gir would have had to be quiet for a suspicious amount of time…” Zim said doubtfully, rubbing his chin. “Perhaps you’re right, Dib-thing. But we should check around anyways just in case there’s some clue to where Gir is.”<br/>
Dib nodded. “Yeah.”<br/>
Zim took a cautious step forwards, pulling a light out of his Pak. It seemed odd that the room would be so empty and so dark: it was the middle of the day. Zim paused in front of a door on the right.<br/>
“Everything okay?” Dib asked, cocking his head.<br/>
Zim craned his neck back. “There’s something in here…” he murmured. He tried the handle--locked. Zim stepped back, twisted his face, and kicked his foot against the door—but it didn’t budge.<br/>
Dib rolled up his sleeves. “Let me try.” He rammed his shoulder against it, and, to Zim’s surprise, it popped open like a tab on a can of soda.<br/>
Zim’s mouth gaped open, a blush creeping up his neck. He didn’t notice what was in the room until it was too late.</p><p>“Gir?” Gaz asked, mouth agape.<br/>
With a screech, Gir came bounding down the tree. Mimi followed closely behind him.<br/>
“Out,” Mimi said, pointing at Gir.<br/>
Gaz nodded, letting a laugh escape her lips. “Yeah, great job.” Gaz smiled broadly. “How did you get him out?”<br/>
“Out,” Mimi repeated.<br/>
Gir looked around. “Where’s Master?” He asked Gaz.<br/>
“On his way to rescue you, actually,” Gaz muttered. “C’mon, let’s get a move on.” She motioned with her arm for the robots to follow her. “Who knows what they’ve gotten themselves into now.”</p><p>When Zim came to he was tied to a white plastic chair. He groaned, forcing his head up to keep it from lolling to the side. He had a massive headache. He slowly opened his eyes, starting to struggle in the thick ropes that confined his wrists, arms, and torso.<br/>
Dib nodded awake shortly after, slowly at first, then with such force that he smacked Zim’s head behind his own.<br/>
“Gah--!” Dib cried out. “What the hell?”<br/>
“Watch it, Dib-beast!” Zim cried, wincing.<br/>
“Oh for fuck's sake,” Dib groaned, closing his eyes. “What the hell is going on now?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zim violently rocked back and forth in the white plastic chair. “We are restrained!” he yelled like it wasn’t obvious.<br/>“What do we do?” Dib asked, trying to turn his head around. He wobbled the chair.<br/>“Stop, stop!” Zim cried. “I don’t want to fall over.”<br/>“Didn’t your invader training cover this?”<br/>“Silence, creature!” Zim’s eyes darted around the room. It was dark, the shades were drawn, and his eyes hadn’t quite adjusted yet. Dib was breathing heavily behind him.<br/>“Is there someone in here?” Dib whispered.<br/>“Can your eye enhancement device not see in the dark?”<br/>Dib blinked. “My…glasses?”<br/>Zim was silent. <br/>“No, they can’t make me see in the dark.”<br/>Zim shook his head. “Pathetic,” he muttered. “Pathetic and useless.” He was facing a window that was covered with tightly drawn black shades. Dib stared at the wall in front of him. If he craned his neck just so, he could see the door. It was closed.<br/>“Unhand us!” Zim howled. “Show yourself, coward!”<br/>Silence, except for the creak of a floorboard outside the door. “Who’s there?” Zim cried.<br/>Dib fiddled with the ropes, straining to get free. “Dude, I have a really bad feeling about this,” he muttered.<br/>The door burst open. “Well, well, well,” Tak said, marching towards them with her hands behind her back. The corner of her mouth was turned up in a sly smile. “Look what the snarlbeast dragged in.”<br/>“Unhand us!” Zim repeated, struggling.<br/>“No, I don’t think I will,” Tak replied, inspecting her fingernails.<br/>“What do you want with us?” Dib asked.<br/>“You’ve been quite the fickle ones to catch,” Tak said. “But now that I’ve found you, I can finally continue with my plan.” She approached Dib and plucked one of the wadded-up tissues out of his ear.<br/>“No!” Dib cried. <br/>She slowly reached towards the other one, grinning wickedly.<br/>“What? What’s going on?” Zim wobbled the chair, trying to turn around. <br/>“With you out of the way,” Tak snarled to Dib, “I can finally take over this planet in peace. It’s a pity your sister can’t be with me.” She sighed dramatically like she cared what happened to her. Dib could tell that she didn’t. She walked over to the blinds and yanked them open, exposing the boys’ eyes to the bright sun. They both winced. “I wanted you all to see me push the new button,” she said, turning around. “It’ll be the last thing you ever see.”<br/>“I’m an Irken!” Zim said, still struggling in his restraints. “You can’t make it work on me!”<br/>Tak just laughed. “I’m smarter than you, Zim,” she said. “I can do anything. Even make your human’s sister’s immunity useless. I reformulated the quantum vulp reactor to plow right through it; while excluding me, of course.”<br/>“Take the humans!” Zim cried. “But let me go!”<br/>“So you can fight another day? No, I don’t think so.”<br/>The button was red and sat menacingly on a huge remote made of shiny metal.</p>
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